Sugar Beet Pectin Supplementation Did Not Alter Profiles of Fecal Microbiota and Exhaled Breath in Healthy Young Adults and Healthy Elderly

Abstract

Aging is accompanied with increased frailty and comorbidities, which is potentially associated with microbiome perturbations. Dietary fibers could contribute to healthy aging by beneficially impacting gut microbiota and metabolite profiles. We aimed to compare young adults with elderly and investigate the effect of pectin supplementation on fecal microbiota composition, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design. Fifty-two young adults and 48 elderly consumed 15 g/day sugar beet pectin or maltodextrin for four weeks. Fecal and exhaled breath samples were collected before and after the intervention period. Fecal samples were used for microbiota profiling by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and for analysis of SCFAs by gas chromatography (GC). Breath was used for VOC analysis by GC-tof-MS. Young adults and elderly showed similar fecal SCFA and exhaled VOC profiles. Additionally, fecal microbiota profiles were similar, with five genera significantly different in relative abundance. Pectin supplementation did not significantly alter fecal microbiota, SCFA or exhaled VOC profiles in elderly or young adults. In conclusion, aside from some minor differences in microbial composition, healthy elderly and young adults showed comparable fecal microbiota composition and activity, which were not altered by pectin supplementation.

Associations between Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Gastro-Intestinal Microbiota, Diet, and Cognitive Functioning in Dutch Healthy Older Adults: The NU-AGE Study

“…Therefore, our study population might have been too healthy to demonstrate the link between cognition and GI microbiota. Indeed, changes in GI microbiota in older adults seem to be more strongly associated with health status rather than with chronological age [ 5 , 94 ].…”

Endo-1,3(4)-β-Glucanase-Treatment of Oat β-Glucan Enhances Fermentability by Infant Fecal Microbiota, Stimulates Dectin-1 Activation and Attenuates Inflammatory Responses in Immature Dendritic Cells

“…DNA extraction was performed using Repeated Bead Beating [ 27 ], followed by purification using the Maxwell 16 Tissue LEV Total RNA Purification Kit Cartridge (XAS1220) (Promega, Madison, WI, USA). PCR amplification of the V5–V6 region of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes using the unique barcoded primer pair BSF784 (RGGATTAGATACCC) and R1064 (CGACRRCCATGCANACCT) was performed in triplicate, as described elsewhere [ 28 ] with minor modification. Specifically, for t0 samples which contained 1.4–4.6 ng/μL DNA, a 10 μL DNA template was used for the amplification, correspondingly decreasing the amount of nuclease free water to retain the same reaction volume.…”

Fermentation of Chicory Fructo‐Oligosaccharides and Native Inulin by Infant Fecal Microbiota Attenuates Pro‐Inflammatory Responses in Immature Dendritic Cells in an Infant‐Age‐Dependent and Fructan‐Specific Way

“…Microbiota profiling was performed as described previously with some modifications. [21] The V5V6 region of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes was amplified in triplicate PCR reactions with a unique barcoded primer pair BSF784 (RGGATTAGATACCC) and R1064 (CGACRRCCATGCANACCT). For the t0 samples which contained 1.4-4.6 ng µL −1 DNA, 10 µL of DNA template was used in each reaction.…”