Supplementation of triple viable probiotics combined with dietary intervention is associated with gut microbial improvement in humans on a high‑fat diet

Abstract

Numerous animal studies have demonstrated that oral probiotics may have a beneficial role in preventing obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and even colorectal cancer, which are all associated with a high-fat diet (HFD). However, the underlying beneficial effects of combined probiotic and dietary intervention on the gut microbiota of 'non-patient' individuals previously on an HFD have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, fecal samples were obtained from 36 volunteers on a high-fat diet and after dietary intervention for 4 months, and 16S rDNA sequencing was applied to identify how probiotics and dietary intervention had altered the composition of the microbiota. The results demonstrated that probiotics treatment and dietary intervention in combination raised the diversity of lumen microbes compared with their individual applications. A markedly separated distribution (β-diversity) was observed, confirming the difference in gut microbiota composition among the treatment groups. Bacterial taxonomic analysis demonstrated that the relative abundance of 30 species was altered among the groups following dietary intervention and/or probiotic supplementation. The majority of the species that exhibited a population increase belonged to two butyrate-producing families, Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, whereas the species with reduced populations mainly belonged to the Bacteroidaceae family. Collectively, these results suggest that combined probiotic and dietary intervention is able to improve the gut microbiota composition of human subjects on an HFD.

The Influence of the Gut Microbiome on Obesity in Adults and the Role of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics for Weight Loss

“…Probiotics: Probiotics consist of live bacteria, typically Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, beneficial for improving the composition of colonic microbiota and promoting health of the host (Okeke et al, 2014;Qian et al, 2019). Animal studies: In a previous study, obese mice were fed one or more strains of probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium breve, and Lactobacillus paracasei) or placebo.…”

“…Moreover, since dietary therapy may alter the function and composition of microbes found in the gut, it has an influential benefit on the host (Koutnikova et al, 2019;Qian et al, 2019). In a study done by Qian et al (2019), subjects were randomly assigned to four groups: HFD; dietary intervention (DI), in which the HFD was replaced by a low-fat diet; HFD with probiotics (L. acidophilus, B. longum, and E. faecalis); or DI with probiotics. Fecal samples were obtained after 4 months and 16S rDNA sequencing was carried out to pinpoint how probiotics with DI change the microbiota composition.…”

“…Various studies have indicated that this ratio is not a causal factor in human obesity but may be related to dietary intake. Thus, intake of probiotics with DI appeared to expand the phyla of beneficial species, and reduce that of certain harmful species, providing a natural possibility to treat HFD-obesity (Cerdó et al, 2019;Qian et al, 2019). Studies conducted on probiotics and their effect on obesity causing factors are briefly summarized in Table 1.…”

May nutrients and dietary supplements influence the gut-lung microbiota axis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and exacerbations?

“…The hypothesis is that the use of probiotics in clinical settings may reduce the inflammatory response and form a protective barrier to prevent and even treat carcinogenesis in mice [186,187], in human gastrointestinal tumors [188,189], as well as in irritable bowel syndrome [190] and metabolic dysfunction such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and lipid metabolism [191,192]. For example, in a recent Chinese study [193], probiotics treatment and dietary intervention raised the gut microbial diversity of high-fat diet subjects.…”

“…The most increased species belonged to two butyrate-producing families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, whereas the majority of the species with reduced populations belonged to the Bac teroidaceae family [193]. Potential new treatments based on probiotics might not only reduce pathogenic species colonization but also increase commensal bacterial growth in the respiratory tract.…”