CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Effect of novel tobacco products on gut microbiota composition in healthy young adults
1
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 0 Rome, Italy
2
Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy
3
Department of Movement, Human, and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Tob. Prev. Cessation 2026;12(Supplement 1):A36
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND-AIM:
The gut microbiota plays a key role in human health, and its composition can be modulated by lifestyle factors, including tobacco use. While traditional cigarette smoking is known to alter gut microbial balance, data on the impact of novel nicotine products are still limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between gut microbiota structure and smoking habits, including HTP and e cigarette use.
METHODS:
The study was conducted on 211 healthy students from the Universities of Naples Parthenope and Rome Sapienza. Participants completed questionnaires on smoking behavior and collected faecal samples. Exclusion criteria included chronic diseases, recent antibiotic or probiotic use, and gastrointestinal surgery or infection in the previous 3 months. Fecal samples were self collected using sterile swabs and processed within 24 hours. Bacterial DNA was extracted and microbial composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Statistical analyses included linear regression models and heatmaps to assess associations between microbiota and lifestyle variables.
RESULTS:
A total of 211 participants (119 females, 92 males; mean age 22.3 ± 2.8 years) were included; 51.7% non smokers, among the 48.3% smokers: 56% cigarette smokers, almost 8% exclusive HTP/e cig users, 11% dual users, and 18% were former smokers, <7% did not specify smoking type. Sequencing identified Firmicutes (57.6 ± 14.6%) and Bacteroidetes (35.0 ± 13.3%) as dominant phyla. Linear regression showed that Firmicutes relative abundance increased by 0.48 per cigarette pack (p = 0.03). Stacked bar charts indicated that exclusive HTP/e cig users had markedly higher mean relative abundances of Bacillus (39.7%), Facklamia (15.0%), and Prevotella (13.7%), values that were comparable in dual users (Bacillus 38.1%, Facklamia 11.9%) and clearly higher than in non smokers and conventional cigarette smokers (Bacillus and Facklamia <5%). Non smokers showed relatively higher Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium, whereas smokers had slightly higher Prevotella, Bacillus, and Lachnospiraceae. Overall, HTP/e cig use and dual users were associated with a distinct genus level gut microbiota profile enriched in potentially pro inflammatory taxa such as Facklamia, which can act as an opportunistic, and Prevotella that has been linked to periodontal disease, respiratory infections, and inflammatory bowel disease.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows that cigarette smoking can alter gut microbiota composition even in healthy young adults. The observed increase in Firmicutes and the distinctive genus level signatures in HTP/e cigarette users suggest potential pathways through which these products influence metabolic and inflammatory processes. These preliminary findings highlight the sensitivity of the gut microbiota to novel tobacco and nicotine products, but further research in larger and more diverse populations is needed to confirm these effects and their long term health implications.
The gut microbiota plays a key role in human health, and its composition can be modulated by lifestyle factors, including tobacco use. While traditional cigarette smoking is known to alter gut microbial balance, data on the impact of novel nicotine products are still limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between gut microbiota structure and smoking habits, including HTP and e cigarette use.
METHODS:
The study was conducted on 211 healthy students from the Universities of Naples Parthenope and Rome Sapienza. Participants completed questionnaires on smoking behavior and collected faecal samples. Exclusion criteria included chronic diseases, recent antibiotic or probiotic use, and gastrointestinal surgery or infection in the previous 3 months. Fecal samples were self collected using sterile swabs and processed within 24 hours. Bacterial DNA was extracted and microbial composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Statistical analyses included linear regression models and heatmaps to assess associations between microbiota and lifestyle variables.
RESULTS:
A total of 211 participants (119 females, 92 males; mean age 22.3 ± 2.8 years) were included; 51.7% non smokers, among the 48.3% smokers: 56% cigarette smokers, almost 8% exclusive HTP/e cig users, 11% dual users, and 18% were former smokers, <7% did not specify smoking type. Sequencing identified Firmicutes (57.6 ± 14.6%) and Bacteroidetes (35.0 ± 13.3%) as dominant phyla. Linear regression showed that Firmicutes relative abundance increased by 0.48 per cigarette pack (p = 0.03). Stacked bar charts indicated that exclusive HTP/e cig users had markedly higher mean relative abundances of Bacillus (39.7%), Facklamia (15.0%), and Prevotella (13.7%), values that were comparable in dual users (Bacillus 38.1%, Facklamia 11.9%) and clearly higher than in non smokers and conventional cigarette smokers (Bacillus and Facklamia <5%). Non smokers showed relatively higher Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium, whereas smokers had slightly higher Prevotella, Bacillus, and Lachnospiraceae. Overall, HTP/e cig use and dual users were associated with a distinct genus level gut microbiota profile enriched in potentially pro inflammatory taxa such as Facklamia, which can act as an opportunistic, and Prevotella that has been linked to periodontal disease, respiratory infections, and inflammatory bowel disease.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows that cigarette smoking can alter gut microbiota composition even in healthy young adults. The observed increase in Firmicutes and the distinctive genus level signatures in HTP/e cigarette users suggest potential pathways through which these products influence metabolic and inflammatory processes. These preliminary findings highlight the sensitivity of the gut microbiota to novel tobacco and nicotine products, but further research in larger and more diverse populations is needed to confirm these effects and their long term health implications.
| eISSN: | 2459-3087 |
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