2.5. Gut Microbiome Analysis
Stool samples were obtained from all participants, who were instructed to self-collect the specimens at home. Stools (100 g) from each participant were collected and stored at −80 °C in tubes containing DNA/RNA Shield™ solution (Zymo Research, Irvine, CA, USA). Participants were also provided with a poster describing the procedure and a video demonstrating how to collect the stool sample. All samples must be collected one to two days before the visit. The container was verified using the participant’s label number and sent for analysis of the 16S rDNA gene amplicon using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA was extracted from stool samples using ZymoBIOMICS