Microbes living in our mouths could hold the key to obesity prevention (Jan 2026, n=628) Integrative multi-omics analysis reveals oral microbiome-metabolome signatures of obesity Oral

[Michael Harrop]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-microbes-mouths-key-obesity.html
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)01591-8

This appears to be correlation only. So it doesn't conflict with prior evidence indicating the gut microbiome is the crux that influences the oral microbiome. https://humanmicrobiome.info/oral/

It actually matches very well with this other recent study:
Exhaled Breath Carries Disease-associated Bacteria from Gut (Jan 2026, n=41) The gut microbiota shapes the human and murine breath volatilome.

Highlights​

• Oral microbiome composition and functions differ significantly in obesity
• Obesity is linked to proinflammatory and lactate-producing oral bacteria
• Obese individuals show disrupted oral metabolism and altered energy balance
• Obesity-linked metabolites correlate with cardiometabolic disease markers

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Summary​

Obesity is a leading global health challenge and risk factor for cardiometabolic disorders, driven in part by industrialization and low-fiber, ultra-processed diets. While the gut microbiome has been implicated in obesity, the contribution of the oral microbiome—the body’s second largest microbial ecosystem—remains underexplored.

We analyze a prospective cohort of 628 Emirati adults, including multi-omics profiling of 97 obese individuals and 95 matched controls, generating the most comprehensive oral microbiome analysis to date. Obese participants show altered microbial diversity, composition, functions, and metabolites with enrichment of proinflammatory Streptococcus parasanguinis, Actinomyces oris, and lactate-producing Oribacterium sinus. Pathways for carbohydrate metabolism, histidine degradation, and obesogenic metabolites are upregulated, whereas B-vitamin and heme biosynthesis are depleted. Corresponding metabolites—including lactate, histidine derivatives, choline, uridine, and uracil—are elevated and correlate with obesity-linked cardiometabolic markers.

These findings reveal mechanistic oral microbiome-metabolite shifts, highlighting oral microbiome-host interactions as novel targets for obesity prevention and intervention.

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