U.S. — Geographical location impacts the diversity of microbes present in a person's body, with some places corresponding to much more microbe diversity than others, according to a study published in the journal Cell.<br /><br />The study found that immigrants tend to eat a more Westernized diet, rich in sugar, fats and protein after arriving in the U.S., resulting in a 15 percent loss of microbiome diversity.<br /><br />The dominant species of the gut bacteria changed from a bacteria called "Prevotella" to a bacteria called "Bacteroides," which is commonly found in Western microbes. <br /><br />The "Prevotella" bacteria helps in digesting fibrous foods commonly found in Asia.<br /><br />As microbiome diversity in the body decreases, the risk of obesity and diabetes increases.<br /><br />The study was conducted with the Hmong and Karen community from Southeast Asia and found that first and second generation U.S. immigrants had an additional drop of 5-10 percent of gut bacteria, and ended up with similar gut bacteria to those whose families have a longer history in the U.S.
