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Published on: July 31, 2019
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A Prebiotic Diet Containing Galactooligosaccharides and Polydextrose Produces Dynamic and Reproducible Changes in the
Robert S Thompson1,2, Samuel J Bowers3, Fernando Vargas4
1Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Nutrients
|June 19, 2024
Summary
Prebiotics like galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and polydextrose (PDX) consistently alter gut bacteria and metabolites, promoting a healthier gut microbiome. These changes were reproducible across different research sites.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Nutritional Science
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Prebiotics are known to benefit host health and stress resilience.
- However, dynamic changes in gut microbial ecology and metabolites due to prebiotics are under-documented.
- Reproducibility of prebiotic effects on specific bacteria and metabolites remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the consistent impact of prebiotic diets (galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and polydextrose (PDX)) on gut microbiome and microbially modified bile acids over time.
- To assess the reproducibility of these effects across two independent research sites.
- To explore the relationship between microbial metabolic pathways and bile acid modifications.
Main Methods:
- Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed control or prebiotic-enriched diets.
- Gut microbiomes were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
- Metabolomes, specifically microbially modified bile acids, were analyzed using untargeted LC-MS/MS.
- Inferred microbial functions were predicted using PICRUSt2.
Main Results:
- Prebiotic diets significantly altered gut microbial beta diversity and the relative abundance of bacterial genera over time.
- Microbially modified bile acid profiles were consistently impacted by prebiotic consumption.
- PICRUSt2 identified four key metabolic pathways affected by the prebiotics, with deoxycholic acid emerging as a potential network hub.
- All observed effects were consistent between the two research sites.
Conclusions:
- Dietary prebiotics (GOS/PDX) robustly modulate the gut microbial ecosystem and its metabolic output.
- These findings support the role of prebiotics in establishing a health-promoting gut microbiome.
- The consistent effects across sites enhance the reliability of prebiotic interventions for host health and stress resilience.
Keywords:
ParabacteroidesRuminiclostridium 5bile aciddeoxycholic acidgalactooligosaccharidemetabolomemicrobiomepolydextroseprebioticMore Related Videos
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