Prebiotic Diet: Other Dietary Molecules Implicated in Gut Microbiota Health

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 36204

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), Tuscia University, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: applied nutrition; polyphenols; antioxidant activity; omega-3; retinoic acid; novel foods; food chemistry; cancer biology; hypertension; breast tissue microbiota; gut microbiota; omega-3 and microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Research and Training Center in Human Nutrition, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy
2. Clinical Nutrition Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Interests: clinical nutrition; perioperative nutrition; body composition; gut microbiota dietary modulation; digestive cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2016, the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) provided a new definition of a prebiotic as ‘a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit’. Moreover, they added polyunsaturated fatty acids and the phenolics/phytochemicals among the prebiotics, even though they are considered ‘candidates’ due to the different levels of scientific evidence in comparison to accepted prebiotics such as fructans and galactans. However, it is not to be excluded that there may be dietary molecules that could play a fundamental role in promoting commensal bacteria viability and metabolic activity, and conferring health benefits to the host, even though they are not substrates for them, and instead other dietary molecules that interrupt or inhibit these metabolic activities.

With this premise in mind, the present Special Issue aims to collect papers concerning the investigation of the unconventional actions of dietary molecules (other than carbohydrate substances), or whole foods containing them, as positive or negative regulators of the commensal gut microbiota, in order to outline what can be defined as the ‘correct prebiotic diet’.

Dr. Lara Costantini
Dr. Emanuele Rinninella
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Prebiotic
  • Commensal bacteria
  • Microbiota
  • Microbiome
  • Dietary molecules
  • Phenolics
  • Phytochemicals
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids
  • Vitamins

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 163 KiB  
Editorial
The Prebiotic Diet: Other Dietary Molecules Implicated in Gut Microbiota Health
by Emanuele Rinninella and Lara Costantini
Foods 2024, 13(3), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13030490 - 3 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1190
Abstract
In 2016, the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) provided a new definition of a prebiotic as “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit” [...] Full article

Research

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13 pages, 1182 KiB  
Article
Vitamin B12 Status and Gut Microbiota among Saudi Females with Obesity
by Sara Al-Musharaf, Ghadeer S. Aljuraiban, Lama Al-Ajllan, Noura Al-Khaldi, Esra’a A. Aljazairy, Syed Danish Hussain, Abdullah M. Alnaami, Shaun Sabico and Nasser Al-Daghri
Foods 2022, 11(24), 4007; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11244007 - 11 Dec 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2343
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that dietary habits and dysbiosis of gut microbiota contributed to obesity development. Vitamin B12 is produced by microbes; however, the relationships between vitamin B12, gut microbiome, and obesity are understudied. We aimed to determine the association between vitamin B12 [...] Read more.
Previous studies have suggested that dietary habits and dysbiosis of gut microbiota contributed to obesity development. Vitamin B12 is produced by microbes; however, the relationships between vitamin B12, gut microbiome, and obesity are understudied. We aimed to determine the association between vitamin B12 status and gut microbiota relative to obesity in 92 Saudi Arabian females aged 19–25 years who were obese (n = 44) or normal weight (n = 48). Anthropometric, biochemical data, and dietary data were collected. The microbial communities of stool samples were characterized using the shotgun metagenomic sequencing technique. The relationship between vitamin B12 status and gut microbiota composition was identified using Pearson correlation analysis. A statistically significant difference was found in bacterial α- and β-diversity between the groups relative to median serum vitamin B12 level (404.0 pg/mL) and body weight. In the total participants, dietary vitamin B12 intake was inversely correlated with Bifidobacterium kashiwanohense and Blautia wexlerae species. In obese participants, dietary vitamin B12 intake was inversely correlated with Akkermansia muciniphila species and species from the Verrucomicrobia phylum, whereas it was positively correlated with Bacteroides species. Our findings indicate that the abundance (frequency) and diversity (richness) of gut microbiota are associated with vitamin B12 levels and obesity in young females. Full article
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27 pages, 3481 KiB  
Article
Impact of Circular Brewer’s Spent Grain Flour after In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion on Human Gut Microbiota
by Teresa Bonifácio-Lopes, Marcelo D. Catarino, Ana A. Vilas-Boas, Tânia B. Ribeiro, Débora A. Campos, José A. Teixeira and Manuela Pintado
Foods 2022, 11(15), 2279; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11152279 - 30 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) solid residues are constituted by dietary fibre, protein, sugars, and polyphenols, which can have potential effects on human health. In this study, for the first time, the flours obtained from solid residues of solid-liquid extraction (SLE) and ohmic heating [...] Read more.
Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) solid residues are constituted by dietary fibre, protein, sugars, and polyphenols, which can have potential effects on human health. In this study, for the first time, the flours obtained from solid residues of solid-liquid extraction (SLE) and ohmic heating extraction (OHE) were applied throughout the gastrointestinal digestion simulation (GID), in order to evaluate their prebiotic potential and in vitro human gut microbiota fermentation. The results showed that the digestion of BSG flours obtained by the different methods lead to an increase throughout the GID of total phenolic compounds (SLE: from 2.27 to 7.20 mg gallic acid/g BSG—60% ethanol:water (v/v); OHE: 2.23 to 8.36 mg gallic acid/g BSG—80% ethanol:water (v/v)) and consequently an increase in antioxidant activity (ABTS—SLE: from 6.26 to 13.07 mg ascorbic acid/g BSG—80% ethanol:water (v/v); OHE: 4.60 to 10.60 mg ascorbic acid/g BSG—80% ethanol:water (v/v)—ORAC—SLE: 3.31 to 14.94 mg Trolox/g BSG—80% ethanol:water (v/v); OHE: from 2.13 to 17.37 mg Trolox/g BSG—60% ethanol:water (v/v)). The main phenolic compounds identified included representative molecules such as vanillic and ferulic acids, vanillin and catechin, among others being identified and quantified in all GID phases. These samples also induced the growth of probiotic bacteria and promoted the positive modulation of beneficial strains (such as Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp.) present in human faeces. Moreover, the fermentation by human faeces microbiota also allowed the production of short chain fatty acids (acetic, propionic, and butyric). Furthermore, previous identified polyphenols were also identified during fecal fermentation. This study demonstrates that BSG flours obtained from the solid residues of SLE and OHE extractions promoted a positive modulation of gut microbiota and related metabolism and antioxidant environment associated to the released phenolic compounds. Full article
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Review

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20 pages, 1008 KiB  
Review
The Potential of Xylooligosaccharides as Prebiotics and Their Sustainable Production from Agro-Industrial by-Products
by Kim Kley Valladares-Diestra, Luciana Porto de Souza Vandenberghe, Sabrina Vieira, Luis Daniel Goyzueta-Mamani, Patricia Beatriz Gruening de Mattos, Maria Clara Manzoki, Vanete Thomaz Soccol and Carlos Ricardo Soccol
Foods 2023, 12(14), 2681; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142681 - 12 Jul 2023
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4531
Abstract
In recent years, concerns about a good-quality diet have increased. Food supplements such as prebiotics have great nutritional and health benefits. Within the diverse range of prebiotics, xylooligosaccharides (XOs) show high potential, presenting exceptional properties for the prevention of systemic disorders. XOs can [...] Read more.
In recent years, concerns about a good-quality diet have increased. Food supplements such as prebiotics have great nutritional and health benefits. Within the diverse range of prebiotics, xylooligosaccharides (XOs) show high potential, presenting exceptional properties for the prevention of systemic disorders. XOs can be found in different natural sources; however, their production is limited. Lignocellulosic biomasses present a high potential as a source of raw material for the production of XOs, making the agro-industrial by-products the perfect candidates for production on an industrial scale. However, these biomasses require the application of physicochemical pretreatments to obtain XOs. Different pretreatment methodologies are discussed in terms of increasing the production of XOs and limiting the coproduction of toxic compounds. The advance in new technologies for XOs production could decrease their real cost (USD 25–50/kg) on an industrial scale and would increase the volume of market transactions in the prebiotic sector (USD 4.5 billion). In this sense, new patents and innovations are being strategically developed to expand the use of XOs as daily prebiotics. Full article
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17 pages, 2257 KiB  
Review
The Use of Prebiotics from Pregnancy and Its Complications: Health for Mother and Offspring—A Narrative Review
by Cielo García-Montero, Oscar Fraile-Martinez, Sonia Rodriguez-Martín, Jose V. Saz, Rocio Aracil Rodriguez, Juan Manuel Pina Moreno, Javier Ruiz Labarta, Natalio García-Honduvilla, Melchor Alvarez-Mon, Coral Bravo, Juan A. De Leon-Luis and Miguel A. Ortega
Foods 2023, 12(6), 1148; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061148 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4960
Abstract
Pregnancy involves a metabolic reprogramming that includes changes in the gut microbiota composition in women. Evidence shows that maternal dysbiosis is linked to neonatal dysbiosis, and this factor can determine health status in adulthood. Although there is little literature available on this topic, [...] Read more.
Pregnancy involves a metabolic reprogramming that includes changes in the gut microbiota composition in women. Evidence shows that maternal dysbiosis is linked to neonatal dysbiosis, and this factor can determine health status in adulthood. Although there is little literature available on this topic, high heterogeneity is a limitation when examining nutritional interventions. Information has been gathered to contrast the benefits of prebiotic usage, specifically in pregnancy, in its possible complications and in newborns’ gut microbiota development. The objective pursued in this brief narrative review is to provide a clear summary of relevant content when searching with regard to the use of prebiotics in pregnancy, the effects in prenatal and postnatal periods, and to help in clinical decision-making in pregnancy management and lactation. A search has found that the nutritional status of the pregnant mother is key for the earliest microbial colonization in newborns, and thus intervention programs from pregnancy could assure better outcomes in both the mother and offspring. In this sense, prebiotics (administered to mothers who breastfeed or provided in formula milk) are feasible and cost-effective elements that can prevent allergies, colic, and other maladies in newborns. Full article
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15 pages, 1176 KiB  
Review
Modulation of Intestinal Flora by Dietary Polysaccharides: A Novel Approach for the Treatment and Prevention of Metabolic Disorders
by Li Zhang, Xinzhou Wang and Xin Zhang
Foods 2022, 11(19), 2961; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11192961 - 22 Sep 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2718
Abstract
Intestinal flora is numerous and diverse, and play a key role in maintaining human health. Dietary polysaccharides are widely present in the daily diet and have a moderating effect on the intestinal flora. Past studies have confirmed that intestinal flora is involved in [...] Read more.
Intestinal flora is numerous and diverse, and play a key role in maintaining human health. Dietary polysaccharides are widely present in the daily diet and have a moderating effect on the intestinal flora. Past studies have confirmed that intestinal flora is involved in the metabolic process in the human body, and the change in intestinal flora structure is closely related to the metabolic disorders in the human body. Therefore, regulating intestinal flora through dietary polysaccharides is an effective way to treat and prevent common metabolic diseases and has great research value. However, this area has not received enough attention. In this review, we provide an overview of the modulatory effects of dietary polysaccharides on intestinal flora and the key role of intestinal flora in improving metabolic disorders in humans. In addition, we highlight the therapeutic and preventive effects of intestinal flora modulation through dietary polysaccharides on metabolic disorders, aiming to find new ways to treat metabolic disorders and facilitate future exploration in this field. Full article
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35 pages, 2241 KiB  
Review
Gut Microbiota Modulation as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy in Cardiometabolic Diseases
by Yahkub Babatunde Mutalub, Monsurat Abdulwahab, Alkali Mohammed, Aishat Mutalib Yahkub, Sameer Badri AL-Mhanna, Wardah Yusof, Suk Peng Tang, Aida Hanum Ghulam Rasool and Siti Safiah Mokhtar
Foods 2022, 11(17), 2575; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11172575 - 25 Aug 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5444
Abstract
The human gut harbors microbial ecology that is in a symbiotic relationship with its host and has a vital function in keeping host homeostasis. Inimical alterations in the composition of gut microbiota, known as gut dysbiosis, have been associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Studies [...] Read more.
The human gut harbors microbial ecology that is in a symbiotic relationship with its host and has a vital function in keeping host homeostasis. Inimical alterations in the composition of gut microbiota, known as gut dysbiosis, have been associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Studies have revealed the variation in gut microbiota composition in healthy individuals as compared to the composition of those with cardiometabolic diseases. Perturbation of host–microbial interaction attenuates physiological processes and may incite several cardiometabolic disease pathways. This imbalance contributes to cardiometabolic diseases via metabolism-independent and metabolite-dependent pathways. The aim of this review was to elucidate studies that have demonstrated the complex relationship between the intestinal microbiota as well as their metabolites and the development/progression of cardiometabolic diseases. Furthermore, we systematically itemized the potential therapeutic approaches for cardiometabolic diseases that target gut microbiota and/or their metabolites by following the pathophysiological pathways of disease development. These approaches include the use of diet, prebiotics, and probiotics. With the exposition of the link between gut microbiota and cardiometabolic diseases, the human gut microbiota therefore becomes a potential therapeutic target in the development of novel cardiometabolic agents. Full article
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20 pages, 928 KiB  
Review
Food Emulsifiers and Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of the Gut Microbiota
by Martina De Siena, Pauline Raoul, Lara Costantini, Emidio Scarpellini, Marco Cintoni, Antonio Gasbarrini, Emanuele Rinninella and Maria Cristina Mele
Foods 2022, 11(15), 2205; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11152205 - 25 Jul 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 8494
Abstract
The use of emulsifiers in processed foods and the rapid epidemic development of metabolic syndrome in Western countries over the past 20 years have generated growing interest. Evidence for the role of emulsifiers in metabolic syndrome through gut microbiota has not been clearly [...] Read more.
The use of emulsifiers in processed foods and the rapid epidemic development of metabolic syndrome in Western countries over the past 20 years have generated growing interest. Evidence for the role of emulsifiers in metabolic syndrome through gut microbiota has not been clearly established, thus making it challenging for clinical nutritionists and dietitians to make evidence-based associations between the nature and the quantity of emulsifiers and metabolic disorders. This narrative review summarizes the highest quality clinical evidence currently available about the impact of food emulsifiers on gut microbiota composition and functions and the potential development of metabolic syndrome. The state-of-the-art of the different common emulsifiers is performed, highlighting where they are present in daily foods and their roles. Recent findings of in vitro, in vivo, and human studies assessing the effect of different emulsifiers on gut microbiota have been recently published. There is some progress in understanding how some food emulsifiers could contribute to developing metabolic diseases through gut microbiota alterations while others could have prebiotic effects. However, there are still many unanswered questions regarding daily consumption amounts and the synergic effects between emulsifiers’ intake and responses by the microbial signatures of each individual. Full article
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Other

6 pages, 973 KiB  
Commentary
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as Prebiotics: Innovation or Confirmation?
by Emanuele Rinninella and Lara Costantini
Foods 2022, 11(2), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11020146 - 6 Jan 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2501
Abstract
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), in its last consensus statement about prebiotics, defined polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as “candidate prebiotics” due to a lack of complete scientific evidence. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of microbiota to metabolize PUFAs, [...] Read more.
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), in its last consensus statement about prebiotics, defined polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as “candidate prebiotics” due to a lack of complete scientific evidence. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of microbiota to metabolize PUFAs, although the role of the resulting metabolites in the host is less known. Recent partial evidence shows that these metabolites can have important health effects in the host, reinforcing the concept of the prebiotic action of PUFAs, despite the data being mostly related to omega-6 linoleic acid and to lactobacilli taxon. However, considering that the symbionts in our gut benefit from the nutritional molecules that we include in our diet, and that bacteria, like all living organisms, cannot benefit from a single nutritional molecule, the concept of the “correct prebiotic diet” should be the new frontier in the field of gut microbiota research. Full article
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