Impact of Buckwheat Fermented Milk Combined with High‐Fat Diet on Rats’ Gut Microbiota and Short‐Chain Fatty Acids

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of buckwheat fermented milk on intestinal flora and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Buckwheat fermented milk was made with Lactobacillus plantarum ST-Ⅲ, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus. Thirty-six males C57BL/6 rats (aged 3 weeks and with 9 to 12 g weight) were subjected to a 2-week adaptive period on a normal diet. After a week of acclimatization, the rats were randomly divided into three groups with 12 rats in each group. The high-fat diet with fermented milk (HFDFM) group received HFD supplemented with fermented milk, and the high-fat diet supplemented with buckwheat fermented milk (HFDBFM) group received HFD plus buckwheat fermented milk. Besides, the gavage dose was 0.4 mL/day. After the feedings, colon levels of cytokines and antioxidant indices of the liver, colon, and duodenum tissues were measured. The composition of intestinal flora of rats and the content of SCFAs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. Supplementation with buckwheat fermented milk significantly inhibited the increases in lipopolysaccharide levels in colon and antioxidant indexes in the HFD-fed rats. In addition, buckwheat fermented milk could significantly enhance Firmicutes and decrease Bacteroidetes compared to HFDFM. In addition, SCFA concentrations in HFDBFM were higher than other groups. In conclusion, buckwheat fermented milk can alleviate the damage of HFD to intestinal flora of rats. It modulates microbiota composition and SCFA concentrations to balance the intestinal environment, which will benefit to rats' intestinal health.Practical Application: This study explored the effect of buckwheat fermented milk on the regulation of intestinal microflora and SCFAs in rats fed a high-fat diet. It provides new ideas for the development of buckwheat fermented food.

Systematic Review of Human and Animal Evidence on the Role of Buckwheat Consumption on Gastrointestinal Health

“…Pro-inflammatory factors in the stomach tissue of buckwheat-fed mice were similar to mice that received a low salt diet [ 32 ]. When comparing rats on a high-fat diet to those fed with a normal diet, a high-fat diet with fermented milk and a high-fat diet with buckwheat for four weeks led to lower pro-inflammatory markers in the colon [ 34 ]. Finally, in the study that included piglets [ 31 ], buckwheat, in combination with probiotics, was unable to influence the intestinal histomorphology and induction of the mucosal immune system among piglets.…”

“…Nine studies applied Tartary buckwheat and reported differences in the animal fecal microbiome in comparison to a high-fat diet [ 7 , 34 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 49 , 50 ] and basal diet [ 53 ]. In Supplemental Figure S2 , we summarized the findings on differences in GI microbiota from animal studies using Tartary buckwheat as an intervention.…”

Maintaining the Balance of Intestinal Flora through the Diet: Effective Prevention of Illness

“…When intestinal microbiota decompose dietary fiber, they produce a variety of metabolites, including SCFAs ingested by the epithelial cells of the colon, which affect the physiological processes of the host [58]. Intestinal microflora promotes α-syn-mediated dyskinesia and brain-related pathological processes by producing SCFAs.…”

The Beneficial Effect of Coarse Cereals on Chronic Diseases through Regulating Gut Microbiota

“…The buckwheat fermented milk remarkably repressed the increases in LPS levels in the colon and the antioxidant indexes in HFD-fed rats. In addition, buckwheat fermented milk significantly enhanced the abundance of the genus Akkermansia and decreased the abundance of the Lachnospiraceae family [56]. It has been proved that the species belonging to Lachnospiraceae are linked to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes in ob/ob rats, whereas Akkermansia, belonging to Verrucomicrobia, plays an important role in treating obesity, inflammation, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome [57,58].…”