Gut Microbiota Profile in Adults with Abdominal Obesity and Non-Abdominal Obesity: Links to Body Composition and Macronutrient Intake in Semarang, Indonesia -A Brief Research Report

Farhan Syafiq Fadhillah¹Fariz Budi Arafat²Nani Maharani³Jihan Fadhilah¹Hainun Zariyah¹Mochamad Ali Sobirin⁴Hiroyuki Tsutsui⁵Adi Wibowo⁶Achmad Zulfa Juniarto⁷Adriyan Pramono^1,8*

• ¹Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
• ²Department of Statistics, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
• ³Department of Pharmacology and Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
• ⁴Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
• ⁵Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
• ⁶Department of Informatics, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
• ⁷Center of Biomedical Research, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
• ⁸Center of Nutrition Research, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia

Background: Abdominal obesity is a significant risk factor for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, with increasing evidence pointing to the role of gut microbiota development. In Indonesia, where 23.4% of adults are obese, there is a lack of studies examining gut microbiota in the context of abdominal obesity, particularly given the unique dietary patterns. This pilot study investigated the gut microbiota composition in adults with abdominal obesity in Semarang, Indonesia, and its associations with body composition and macronutrient intake. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Semarang, involving 46 adults aged 20-50 years, categorized by abdominal obesity status (22 with abdominal obesity, 24 with non-abdominal obesity). Anthropometric measurements, body composition, and dietary intake were assessed. Gut microbiota profiles were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples. Findings: The Semarang population showed that the abdominal obesity group had a higher visceral fat (12.32±3.44% vs. 6.96±2.91%) compared to the non-abdominal obesity group with Prevotella_9 copri was positively associated with visceral fat (r = 0.206, p-value = 0.169), differing from studies conducted outside Indonesia, potentially showing the uniqueness of the profile. Conclusion: The correlation of Prevotella_9 copri in subjects from Semarang, Indonesia differs from other studies, providing potential uniqueness of the profile of gut microbiota in Indonesia compared to other countries, providing platform for future study to clarify those hypotheses. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to validate these findings and establish causality.