Bacteroides Uniformis Test

Bacteroides uniformis (B. uniformis) is a beneficial bacterium that lives primarily in the human large intestine, where it helps break down complex carbohydrates that our own enzymes cannot digest. By converting dietary fibers and plant polysaccharides into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), it plays an essential role in nourishing colon cells, regulating inflammation, and supporting a balanced microbiome.

Metabolic Versatility

This microbe’s metabolic versatility comes from specialized gene clusters known as polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), which allow it to digest a broad range of fibers such as β-glucans, agar-derived oligosaccharides, and other plant glycans. The end products of this fermentation, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, serve as energy sources for colon cells, regulate immune function, and influence lipid and glucose metabolism. Cross-feeding with other beneficial bacteria amplifies these effects, helping maintain microbial diversity and gut barrier integrity.

Links to Health and Disease

Lower levels of B. uniformis are often seen in people with obesity, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and inflammatory bowel conditions such as ulcerative colitis. In both animal and human studies, supplementing with B. uniformis improves metabolic parameters, reduces liver fat accumulation, strengthens immune regulation, and lowers gut inflammation. These improvements are associated with:

• Anti-inflammatory effects: increasing regulatory immune cells (Tregs, NK cells) and reducing pro-inflammatory macrophage activity
• Metabolic regulation: producing fatty acids like hexadecanedioic acid that enhance fat metabolism and glucose tolerance
• Gut protection: strengthening epithelial barrier function and promoting mucosal healing
• Microbiome balance: favoring beneficial bacterial networks while suppressing inflammatory strains

Clinical and Therapeutic Potential

Because of its combined metabolic and immune-modulating properties, B. uniformis is now being studied as a next-generation probiotic. In preclinical studies, strains like B. uniformis CECT 7771 and F18-22 have shown the ability to lower body fat, prevent liver injury, and alleviate ulcerative colitis without adverse effects. Unlike traditional probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, B. uniformis belongs to a group of native gut bacteria that directly interact with host metabolism and immunity, representing a new frontier in microbiome-based therapy.

The safety and efficacy of B. uniformis supplementation in humans are under active investigation, but early results are promising for its use in treating obesity-related metabolic dysfunction, liver disorders, and chronic gut inflammation. Its ability to adapt to different dietary fibers also suggests it may respond well to prebiotic interventions designed to selectively nourish it.