Fish oil, lard and soybean oil differentially shape gut microbiota of middle-aged rats

High-fat diets have been associated with overweight/obesity and increased mortality in middle-aged populations. However, it is still unclear how gut microbiota in middle-aged populations responds to dietary fats at a normal dose. In this study, we explored gut microbiota structure in middle-aged rats (aged 12 months) after feeding 4% (w/w) soybean oil, lard or fish oil for 3 months, respectively. The results showed that the gut microbiota structure in the fish oil group was substantially different from those of the soybean oil and lard groups in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The relative abundances of phylum Proteobacteria and genus Desulfovibrio in the caecal and colonic contents were the highest in the fish oil group (p < 0.05). The mRNA levels of biomarkers for inflammation in the colon, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-18 and TNF-α, were also the highest in the fish oil group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the fish oil group had the highest microbial DNA abundance of a predicted lipid metabolism. Our results gave a new insight into the potentially negative impact of fish oil diet on health of middle-aged populations by changing gut microbiota and inducing inflammation as compared to soybean oil and lard diets.