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A potential causal association exists between specific gut microbiota and diabetic nephropathy (DN), according to a study published in International Journal of Nephrology and Renovascular Disease. XiXi Song, MD, and colleagues compiled summary statistics from a genome-wide association study on gut microbiota, metabolites, and DN. Employing a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach, they detected the protective nature of genetically predicted representatives from the family Bacteroidaceae, family Victivallaceae, genus Bacteroides, genus Coprococcus 2, and genus Lactococcus against the development of DN. Conversely, they identified a positive correlation between the incidence of DN and entities including phylum Bacteroidetes, class Bacteroidia, order Bacteroidales, genus Catenibacterium, genus Lachnoclostridium, and genus Parasutterella. None of the gut metabolites demonstrated a causal relationship with DN. “Our results substantiated the potential causal association between specific gut microbiota and DN, [offering] novel insight into the mechanisms underlying DN,” Dr. Song wrote.