The study centers on the gut bacterial profiles and diet practices of three major ethnic tribes in West Bengal—Sabar, Bhutia, and Mech tribes, all of which have unique dietary and lifestyle habits, contributing to their distinctive gut microbiomes. These tribes have lived relatively isolated, traditional lifestyles that have preserved their indigenous knowledge and practices, including their diet. Understanding these communities offers key insights into how traditional living and diet impact health and gut bacterial profiles, compared to more urbanized populations.
The Sabar tribe, one of the largest nomadic groups in West Bengal, primarily resides in forested areas. Over time, deforestation and laws protecting forested areas have forced them closer to urban settlements, but their core traditions remain intact. They practice subsistence farming and foraging, often relying on hunting and gathering as an additional source of sustenance. Their gut profiles are hypothesized to be minimally impacted by processed foods due to their reliance on natural forest products, and their core microbiome shows a unique composition.
The Bhutia tribe, of Mongolian descent, lives in the mountainous Lepchakha region in West Bengal. Their isolated settlements are agriculturally driven, with small-scale farming as their main livelihood. The Bhutia people also gather resources from nearby forests and continue to practice small game hunting for food. These geographic and lifestyle traits heavily influence their gut bacteria, which is distinctly different from more urban populations. Their gut bacterial diversity is seen to be richer, likely attributed to the consumption of a wide variety of naturally occurring, unprocessed foods.
The Mech tribe, another group of Mongolian descent, resides near the North Kamakhyaguri region in West Bengal. Their primary diet is based on produce grown in the forest and small game hunting. Similar to the Bhutia, the Mech also practice small-scale farming, gathering wild produce from nearby forests, and have shown a reliance on small game hunting, which provides their diet with proteins and other nutrients. Despite some contact with urbanized populations, their gut microbiome remains relatively untouched by modern food practices, which is reflected in the bacterial composition in their gut.
This study compared the gut profiles of these tribes with an urban family of similar structure. Urban subjects exhibited bacterial profiles influenced by modern lifestyles and diets, marked by processed food consumption, thus showcasing differences in gut microbiome diversity and richness between traditional tribal diets and contemporary urban living.