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ABSTRACT Little is known about how colonic transit time relates to human colonic metabolism and its importance for host health, although a firm stool consistency, a proxy for a long colonic

transit time, has recently been positively associated with gut microbial richness. Here, we show that colonic transit time in humans, assessed using radio-opaque markers, is associated with

overall gut microbial composition, diversity and metabolism. We find that a long colonic transit time associates with high microbial richness and is accompanied by a shift in colonic

metabolism from carbohydrate fermentation to protein catabolism as reflected by higher urinary levels of potentially deleterious protein-derived metabolites. Additionally, shorter colonic

transit time correlates with metabolites possibly reflecting increased renewal of the colonic mucosa. Together, this suggests that a high gut microbial richness does not _per se_ imply a

healthy gut microbial ecosystem and points at colonic transit time as a highly important factor to consider in microbiome and metabolomics studies. Access through your institution Buy or

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VIEWED BY OTHERS GUT PHYSIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT EXPLAIN VARIATIONS IN HUMAN GUT MICROBIOME COMPOSITION AND METABOLISM Article Open access 27 November 2024 DELVING THE DEPTHS OF ‘TERRA

INCOGNITA’ IN THE HUMAN INTESTINE — THE SMALL INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA Article 23 October 2024 PROFILING THE HUMAN INTESTINAL ENVIRONMENT UNDER PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS Article Open access 10

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language. _Bioinformatics_ 20, 289–290 (2004). Article  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank K.V. Vibefelt for helping out with DNA extraction and N. Bicen

for performing the PCR and sequencing. The sequencing was carried out by the DTU in-house facility (DTU Multi-Assay Core, DMAC), Technical University of Denmark. This work was funded by the

Danish Council for Strategic Research (grant no. 11-116163; Center for Gut, Grain and Greens), by the Technical University of Denmark and by the personal Danisco Award (to T.R.L.). The Novo

Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research is an independent research centre at the University of Copenhagen and is partly funded by an unrestricted donation from the Novo

Nordisk Foundation. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2860 Søborg, Denmark Henrik M. Roager, Martin I. Bahl, Henrik

L. Frandsen, Vera Carvalho & Tine R. Licht * Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark Lea B. S. Hansen, Marlene D. Dalgaard, Damian R.

Plichta, Thomas Sicheritz-Pontén, H. Bjørn Nielsen & Ramneek Gupta * The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, University of

Copenhagen, DK-2200 København N, Denmark Rikke J. Gøbel, Henrik Vestergaard, Torben Hansen & Oluf Pedersen * Department of Radiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, DK-2400 København NV, Denmark

Morten H. Sparholt * Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sport, University of Copenhagen, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark Lotte Lauritzen & Mette Kristensen Authors * Henrik M. Roager

View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Lea B. S. Hansen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

* Martin I. Bahl View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Henrik L. Frandsen View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Vera Carvalho View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Rikke J. Gøbel View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Marlene D. Dalgaard View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Damian R. Plichta View author publications

You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Morten H. Sparholt View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Henrik Vestergaard

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Thomas Sicheritz-Pontén View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * H. Bjørn Nielsen View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Oluf Pedersen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Lotte Lauritzen View author publications You can also search

for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Mette Kristensen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Ramneek Gupta View author publications You

can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Tine R. Licht View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS M.I.B., R.J.G.,

H.V., T.H., T.S.-P., O.P., L.L., M.K., R.G. and T.R.L. assembled the cohort and developed protocols and infrastructure to obtain the biological samples and clinical metadata. M.H.S. measured

the colonic transit time. L.B.S.H., V.C. and M.D.D. prepared the faecal samples, extracted DNA and performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing. L.B.S.H. performed the 16S data analyses, with

contributions from V.C. H.M.R. and H.L.F. prepared the urine samples, performed the urine metabolic profiling and identified the urinary metabolites. H.M.R. performed the statistical

correlation analyses with contributions from L.B.S.H., D.R.P. and H.B.N. H.M.R., M.I.B., H.B.N., L.B.S.H., T.S.-P., R.G., M.K. and T.R.L. interpreted the data. H.M.R. and T.R.L. wrote the

manuscript and all authors read, revised and approved the final manuscript. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Tine R. Licht. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare

no competing financial interests. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary Tables 1-6, Supplementary Figures 1-14 and Supplementary References. (PDF 2035 kb) RIGHTS

AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Roager, H., Hansen, L., Bahl, M. _et al._ Colonic transit time is related to bacterial metabolism and mucosal

turnover in the gut. _Nat Microbiol_ 1, 16093 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.93 Download citation * Received: 15 December 2015 * Accepted: 20 May 2016 * Published: 27 June

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