Table 2.
Differences in bacterial flora as determined by T-RFLP analysis
| Non-obese (BMI <20 kg/m2) | Obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) | P valuea | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actinobacteria (Phylum) | 8.2 ± 6.7 %b | 8.0 ± 7.1 % | 0.917 |
| Firmicutes (Phylum) | 37.0 ± 9.1 % | 40.8 ± 15.0 % | 0.241 |
| Bacteroidetes (Phylum) | 44.0 ± 9.8 % | 37.0 ± 14.0 % | 0.033 |
| Lactobacillales (Order) | 5.2 ± 9.2 % | 7.2 ± 10.3 % | 0.455 |
| Bifidobacterium | 8.2 ± 6.7 % | 8.0 ± 7.1 % | 0.917 |
| Bacteroides | 41.0 ± 11.8 % | 35.1 ± 14.5 % | 0.097 |
| Prevotella | 3.0 ± 7.3 % | 2.0 ± 5.3 % | 0.557 |
| Clostridium cluster IV | 8.0 ± 4.9 % | 8.0 ± 6.2 % | 1.000 |
| Clostridium subcluster XIVa | 21.7 ± 5.5 % | 22.1 ± 9.5 % | 0.841 |
| Clostridium cluster XI | 1.0 ± 1.4 % | 1.7 ± 4.0 % | 0.376 |
| Clostridium cluster XVIII | 1.3 ± 1.3 % | 2.1 ± 2.0 % | 0.080 |
| Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio | 0.9 ± 0.4 | 1.7 ± 1.7 | 0.045 |
aP values are based on two-sample t-test with Welch correction
bData are expressed as mean ± SD