Members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma honored their veterans on November 11, 2015. Photo from Facebook

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma took part in the first-ever study of the gut microbes of a Native population.

Researchers led by the University of Oklahoma collected samples from 38 adult tribal members and found differences with non-Natives living in the same area of the state. The tribal members displayed metabolic profiles that suggest they may be more prone to inflammatory conditions like Crohn's disease.

"The difference in gut microbes of the American Indians may be the result of social practices and the built environment rather than specific connections to a person's genetic ancestry," professor Cecil M. Lewis said in a press release.

The study appears in Current Biology.

Get the Story:
First look at gut microbes in an American Indian community (Science Codex 12/3)
Study Uncovers Inflammatory Features in Gut Microbiomes of Cheyenne, Arapaho Individuals (GenomeWeb 12/3)
OU team gets first look at gut microbes of an American Indian community (EurekAlert Science News 12/3)