Relationship between gut microbioa and Sasang constitution
The Sasang constitution was used to diagnose and care patients in the Traditional Korean Medicine. Various studies were established scientific evidences to aid accurate diagnosis based on biological factors. Individual variations of gut microbiota were reported, and those variations were related to host life style and health. The difference of gut microbiota could be related to the sasang constitution. We investigated the relationship between gut microbiota and three constitutions (Tae-Eum, So-Yang, and So-Eum) using 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were predominant phyla in three constitutions, and dominant genera in each constitution were different. Gender and age were considerable factors in comparison of gut microbiota between consititutions. Results in this study indicate that gut bacteria could be one of factors to diagnose sasang constitutions with other biological factors.