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Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the primary macronutrients in the human diet. However, carbohydrates are the most favored source of energy in the body. They can be found in a wide variety of foods, including whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, in various forms, such as sugars, starch, and dietary fiber. Based on their structure, carbohydrates are classified into three main classes— monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The body's cells can only utilize simple...
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Carbohydrates are polymers composed of molecules containing atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. One gram of carbohydrate can provide four kilo-calories of energy, which makes it the most efficient instant energy source.
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The gut microbiome is formed by a vast and diverse community of bacteria that colonizes our large intestine. These bacteria start residing in the gut from birth and continue diversifying throughout life, influenced by factors such as diet, lifestyle, and stress. The gut bacterial community also includes bacteria from food and those that enter the colon through the anus.
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Carbohydrate digestion and metabolism break down simple and complex carbohydrates from food into saccharides (i.e., sugars) for the body to use as energy. Carbohydrate digestion starts in the mouth during mastication, or chewing. The masticated carbohydrates remain intact in the stomach. Digestion resumes in the duodenum of the small intestine, where pancreatic alpha-amylase and brush border enzymes of the microvilli convert complex carbohydrates to monosaccharides. Finally, the monosaccharides...
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Carbohydrates are predominantly obtained from plant sources. With the exception of lactose found in milk and insignificant glycogen amounts in meat, most consumed carbohydrates have plant origins. Monosaccharides and disaccharides, or sugars, can be sourced from fruits, honey, milk, sugar cane, and sugar beets. Grains and vegetables are rich in the polysaccharide starch. Two types of polysaccharides provide fiber: cellulose, which is abundant in many vegetables, forms undigestible roughage or...
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Complex carbohydrate utilization by gut bacteria modulates host food preference.

Kristie B Yu1, Celine Son1, Anisha Chandra1

  • 1Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.

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Gut bacteria influence food preferences by metabolizing specific carbohydrates. This study shows how bacteria like Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Bacteroides ovatus direct mice to prefer diets they can ferment.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology and Host-Microbe Interactions
  • Nutritional Neuroscience and Behavior

Background:

  • The gut microbiota's role in host feeding behavior is significant but mechanistically unclear.
  • Gut bacteria metabolize indigestible carbohydrates, producing energy sources and signaling molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how differential metabolism of fructose polysaccharides by gut bacteria affects host dietary preference.
  • To understand the link between bacterial carbohydrate fermentation and learned food choices.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a gnotobiotic mouse model colonized with specific gut bacteria (Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus).
  • Examined bacterial fermentation of fructans (inulin, levan) with distinct glycosidic linkages.
  • Assessed host dietary preference and neuronal activation in the hypothalamus.

Main Results:

  • Mice colonized with B. thetaiotaomicron preferred inulin; mice with B. ovatus preferred levan.
  • Bacterial genes for fructan utilization were essential for this learned preference.
  • Bacterial fermentation correlated with hypothalamic neuronal activation and host preference.

Conclusions:

  • Selective nutrient metabolism by gut bacteria drives associative learning of dietary preferences.
  • Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in shaping host food choices through nutrient signaling.