Industrialization drives convergent microbiome and host physiological shifts in the human metaorganism

Understanding how host lifestyle and industrialization shape the human gut microbiome and intestinal physiology requires multimodal analyses across diverse global host contexts. Here, we generate multivariate data from the Global Microbiome Conservancy cohort, including gut microbiome, IgA-sequencing, host genotyping, diet, lifestyle and fecal biomarker profiles, to investigate host-microbiome interactions across gradients of industrialization and geography. We show that industrialization is associated with homogenized microbial compositions, reduced microbial diversity, and lower community stability, independent of host confounders. We further show that industrialization is linked to elevated markers of gut stress, increased IgA secretion, and altered patterns of IgA-bacteria interactions. Finally, we show that microbiome-based disease predictors trained on industrialized populations lose accuracy in less industrialized cohorts, highlighting limited cross-population transferability. Together, our results suggest profound restructuring of host-microbiome interactions due to industrialized lifestyles, and emphasize the need for inclusive, globally representative data to improve translational microbiome applications across diverse human populations.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Cell
Published
2026-11-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2026.10.016
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Gut microbiota and health
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.12

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Industrialization drives convergent microbiome and host physiological shifts in the human metaorganism

Shani Sigwazi, Damian Rafal Plichta, Katya Moniz, Lucas Moitinho‐Silva et al.
4 citations
Cell
Gut microbiota and health
8.12
article

Industrialization drives convergent microbiome and host physiological shifts in the human metaorganism

Shani Sigwazi, Damian Rafal Plichta, Katya Moniz, Lucas Moitinho‐Silva, Daniel McDonald, Christine R. Stevens, Charles Asabamaka Onyekwere, Pinja Kettunen, Laure Ségurel, Catherine Girard, Amoako Duah, Kenneth A. Valles, Rob D. Knight, Yvonne Ayerki Nartey, Ainara Sistiaga, Yaw Asante Awuku, Yvonne Ai Lian Lim, Lucas Patel, Varocha Mahachai, Shadrack Osei Asibey, Aïda Sadikh Badiane, Tommi Vatanen, Philip C Rosenstiel, Ramnik J. Xavier, Le Thanh Tu Nguyen, Eike Matthias Wacker, Alain Fezeu, Jenni Lehtimäki, Ratha‐Korn Vilaichone, Rihlat Said Mohamed, B. Jesse Shapiro, Mathieu Groussin, André Franke, Jeff Hooker, Ana Paula Schaan, Alexis Zimmer, Malte Christoph Rühlemann, Ernest Lango-Yaya, Manuel Domínguez‐Rodrigo, Audax Z. P. Mabulla, Mary Afihene, Lasse Ruokolainen, Eric J. Alm, Amelie Plymoth, Mark J. Daly, Mathilde Poyet, Adwoa Agyei Nkansah, David Ellinghaus, Daouda Ndiaye, Deborah Iqaluk, Tan Maw Pin, Hannah Jebens, John Rusine, Ivan E. Mwikarago, Yue Ma, Lewis Roberts, Sean Gibbons, John Baines, Awa Deme, Vanessa Juimo, Fatimah Ibrahim, Mary Noel, Pinja Kettunen, Soo C. Lee, Chris Corzett
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Understanding how host lifestyle and industrialization shape the human gut microbiome and intestinal physiology requires multimodal analyses across diverse global host contexts. Here, we generate multivariate data from the Global Microbiome Conservancy cohort, including gut microbiome, IgA-sequencing, host genotyping, diet, lifestyle and fecal biomarker profiles, to investigate host-microbiome interactions across gradients of industrialization and geography. We show that industrialization is associated with homogenized microbial compositions, reduced microbial diversity, and lower community stability, independent of host confounders. We further show that industrialization is linked to elevated markers of gut stress, increased IgA secretion, and altered patterns of IgA-bacteria interactions. Finally, we show that microbiome-based disease predictors trained on industrialized populations lose accuracy in less industrialized cohorts, highlighting limited cross-population transferability. Together, our results suggest profound restructuring of host-microbiome interactions due to industrialized lifestyles, and emphasize the need for inclusive, globally representative data to improve translational microbiome applications across diverse human populations.

Cell
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), Broad Institute (US), South African Medical Research Council (ZA), University of Southern California (US), University of Copenhagen (DK), Lagos State University (NG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Mayo Clinic (US), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Cape Coast (GH), Harvard University (US), University of Ghana (GH), University of Auckland (NZ), University of Liège (BE), Chulalongkorn University (TH), University of Dar es Salaam (TZ), Universidad de Alcalá (ES), Catholic University College of Ghana (GH), University of the Witwatersrand (ZA), University of Washington (US), Aarhus University (DK), Chief Dull Knife College (US), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (GH), Thammasat University Hospital (TH), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (GH), Karolinska Institutet (SE), Institute for Systems Biology (US), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE), University of Malaya (MY), Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (DE), University of California San Diego (US), Tumaini University (TZ), University of Rwanda (RW), Massachusetts General Hospital (US), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (CG), Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec (SN), Center for Northern Studies (CA), University of Bangui (CF), McGill Genome Centre (CA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (FR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (US), Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive (FR), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (DE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Université Laval (CA), Patrimoines locaux, Environnement et Globalisation (FR), HiLIFE – Elämäntieteiden Instituutti (FI), University of Ghana Medical Centre (GH), Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital (US), Université du Québec (CA), McGill University (CA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Université de Montréal (CA), Cheikh Anta Diop University (SN)
Massachusetts General Hospital, Broad Institute, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Canada Research Chairs, Université de Strasbourg, National Institutes of Health, University of California, San Diego, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Natural Resources Canada, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Gut microbiota and health
8.12
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Laika access coming soon