In vitro evaluation of the microbiota modulation abilities of different sized whole oat grain flakes

The impact of date palm fruits and their component polyphenols, on gut microbial ecology, bacterial metabolites and colon cancer cell proliferation

The fruit of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a rich source of dietary fibre and polyphenols. We have investigated gut bacterial changes induced by the whole date fruit extract (digested date extract; DDE) and its polyphenol-rich extract (date polyphenol extract; DPE) using faecal, pH-controlled, mixed batch cultures mimicking the distal part of the human large intestine, and utilising an array of microbial group-specific 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes. Fluorescence microscopic enumeration indicated that there was a significant increase in the growth of bifidobacteria in response to both treatments, whilst whole dates also increased bacteroides at 24 h and the total bacterial counts at later fermentation time points when compared with DPE alone. Bacterial metabolism of whole date fruit led to the production of SCFA, with acetate significantly increasing following bacterial incubation with DDE. In addition, the production of flavonoid aglycones (myricetin, luteolin, quercetin and apigenin) and the anthocyanidin petunidin in less than 1 h was also observed. Lastly, the potential of DDE, DPE and metabolites to inhibit Caco-2 cell growth was investigated, indicating that both were capable of potentially acting as antiproliferative agents in vitro, following a 48 h exposure. This potential to inhibit growth was reduced following fermentation. Together these data suggest that consumption of date fruits may enhance colon health by increasing beneficial bacterial growth and inhibiting the proliferation of colon cancer cells. This is an early suggestion that date intake by humans may aid in the maintenance of bowel health and even the reduction of colorectal cancer development.

Impact of whole grains on the gut microbiota: the next frontier for oats?

The gut microbiota plays important roles in proper gut function and can contribute to or help prevent disease. Whole grains, including oats, constitute important sources of nutrients for the gut microbiota and contribute to a healthy gut microbiome. In particular, whole grains provide NSP and resistant starch, unsaturated TAG and complex lipids, and phenolics. The composition of these constituents is unique in oats compared with other whole grains. Therefore, oats may contribute distinctive effects on gut health relative to other grains. Studies designed to determine these effects may uncover new human-health benefits of oat consumption.

Human gut microbiota: does diet matter?

The human oro-gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a complex system, consisting of oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus, which all together with the accessory digestive organs constitute the digestive system. The function of the digestive system is to break down dietary constituents into small molecules and then absorb these for subsequent distribution throughout the body. Besides digestion and carbohydrate metabolism, the indigenous microbiota has an important influence on host physiological, nutritional and immunological processes, and commensal bacteria are able to modulate the expression of host genes that regulate diverse and fundamental physiological functions. The main external factors that can affect the composition of the microbial community in generally healthy adults include major dietary changes and antibiotic therapy. Changes in some selected bacterial groups have been observed due to controlled changes to the normal diet e.g. high-protein diet, high-fat diet, prebiotics, probiotics and polyphenols. More specifically, changes in the type and quantity of non-digestible carbohydrates in the human diet influence both the metabolic products formed in the lower regions of the GI tract and the bacterial populations detected in faeces. The interactions between dietary factors, gut microbiota and host metabolism are increasingly demonstrated to be important for maintaining homeostasis and health. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise the effect of diet, and especially dietary interventions, on the human gut microbiota. Furthermore, the most important confounding factors (methodologies used and intrinsic human factors) in relation to gut microbiota analyses are elucidated.

Diet effects in gut microbiome and obesity

The 100 trillion microbes in human gut coevolve with the host and exert significant influences on human health. The gut microbial composition presents dynamic changes correlated with various factors including host genotypes, age, and external environment. Effective manipulation of the gut microbiota through diets (both long-term and short-term diet patterns), probiotics and/or prebiotics, and antibiotics has been proved being potential to prevent from metabolic disorders such as obesity in many studies. The dietary regulation exerts influences on microbial metabolism and host immune functions through several pathways, of which may include selectively bacterial fermentation of nutrients, lower intestinal barrier function, overexpression of genes associated with disorders, and disruptions to both innate and adaptive immunity. Discoveries in the interrelationship between diet, intestinal microbiome, and body immune system provide us novel perceptions to the specific action mechanisms and will promote the development of therapeutic approaches for obesity.

'The way to a man's heart is through his gut microbiota'--dietary pro- and prebiotics for the management of cardiovascular risk

The human gut microbiota has been identified as a possible novel CVD risk factor. This review aims to summarise recent insights connecting human gut microbiome activities with CVD and how such activities may be modulated by diet. Aberrant gut microbiota profiles have been associated with obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Transfer of microbiota from obese animals induces metabolic disease and obesity in germ-free animals. Conversely, transfer of pathogen-free microbiota from lean healthy human donors to patients with metabolic disease can increase insulin sensitivity. Not only are aberrant microbiota profiles associated with metabolic disease, but the flux of metabolites derived from gut microbial metabolism of choline, phosphatidylcholine and l-carnitine has been shown to contribute directly to CVD pathology, providing one explanation for increased disease risk of eating too much red meat. Diet, especially high intake of fermentable fibres and plant polyphenols, appears to regulate microbial activities within the gut, supporting regulatory guidelines encouraging increased consumption of whole-plant foods (fruit, vegetables and whole-grain cereals), and providing the scientific rationale for the design of efficacious prebiotics. Similarly, recent human studies with carefully selected probiotic strains show that ingestion of viable microorganisms with the ability to hydrolyse bile salts can lower blood cholesterol, a recognised risk factor in CVD. Taken together such observations raise the intriguing possibility that gut microbiome modulation by whole-plant foods, probiotics and prebiotics may be at the base of healthy eating pyramids advised by regulatory agencies across the globe. In conclusion, dietary strategies which modulate the gut microbiota or their metabolic activities are emerging as efficacious tools for reducing CVD risk and indicate that indeed, the way to a healthy heart may be through a healthy gut microbiota.

Minimal intestinal epithelial cell toxicity in response to short- and long-term food-relevant inorganic nanoparticle exposure

Toxicity of commercial nanoparticles of titania, silica, and zinc oxides is being investigated in this in vitro study. Particles of these compositions are found in many food items, and thus this study is directed toward particle behavior in simulated digestion media and their interaction with intestinal epithelial cell line C2BBe1, a clone of Caco-2 cells, originally isolated from a human colon cancer. Even though the primary particle size of all three particles was below 50 nm, the particles appeared as aggregates in culture media with a negatively charged surface. In the presence of pepsin (pH 2), the charge on the titania became positive, and silica was almost neutral and aggregated extensively, whereas ZnO dissolved. For silica and titania, treatment with simulated intestinal digestive solution led to a strongly negatively charged surface and particle sizes approaching values similar to those in media. On the basis of infrared spectroscopy, we concluded that the surface of silica and titania was covered with bile salts/proteins after this treatment. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the C2BBe1 cells internalized all three particles. Toxicity assays included investigation of necrosis, apoptosis, membrane damage, and mitochondrial activity. Titania and SiO₂ particles suspended in media at loading levels of 10 μg/cm² exhibited no toxicity. With ZnO at the same loading level, mild toxicity was observed based only on the LDH assay and decrease of mitochondrial activity and not necrosis or apoptosis. Titania particles exposed to the simulated digestion media exhibited mild toxicity based on decrease of mitochondrial activity, likely due to transport of toxic bile salts via adsorption on the particle surface.

Effects of disintegration on in vitro fermentation and conversion patterns of wheat aleurone in a metabolical colon model

This work aimed to elucidate the effect of wheat aleurone integrity on its fermentability, i.e., the formation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and microbial phenolic metabolites, in an in vitro model using human faecal microbiota as an inoculum. The structure of aleurone was modified by mechanical (dry grinding) or enzymatic (xylanase with or without feruloyl esterase) treatments in order to increase its physical accessibility and degrade its complex cell-wall network. The ground aleurone (smaller particle size) produced slightly more SCFA than the native aleurone during the first 8 h but a similar amount at 24 h (102.5 and 101 mmol/L, respectively). Similar colonic metabolism of ferulic acid (FA) was observed for native and ground aleurone. The enzymatic treatments of aleurone allowed a high solubilization of arabinoxylan (up to 82%) and a high release of FA in its conjugated and free forms (up to 87%). The enzymatic disintegration of aleurone's structure led to a higher concentration and formation rate of the colonic metabolites of FA (especially phenylpropionic acids) but did not change significantly the formation of SCFA (81 mmol/L for enzyme treated versus 101 mmol/L for the native aleurone).

Whole grains and health: from theory to practice--highlights of The Grains for Health Foundation's Whole Grains Summit 2012

The Grains for Health Foundation's Whole Grains Summit, held May 19-22, 2012 in Minneapolis, was the first meeting of its kind to convene >300 scientists, educators, food technologists, grain breeders, food manufacturers, marketers, health professionals, and regulators from around the world. Its goals were to identify potential avenues for collaborative efforts and formulate new approaches to whole-grains research and health communications that support global public health and business. This paper summarizes some of the challenges and opportunities that researchers and nutrition educators face in expanding the knowledge base on whole grains and health and in translating and disseminating that knowledge to consumers. The consensus of the summit was that effective, long-term, public-private partnerships are needed to reach across the globe and galvanize the whole-grains community to collaborate effectively in translating whole-grains science into strategies that increase the availability and affordability of more healthful, grain-based food products. A prerequisite of that is the need to build trust among diverse multidisciplinary professionals involved in the growing, producing, marketing, and regulating of whole-grain products and between the grain and public health communities.

Up-regulating the human intestinal microbiome using whole plant foods, polyphenols, and/or fiber

Whole plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, and whole grain cereals, protect against chronic human diseases such as heart disease and cancer, with fiber and polyphenols thought to contribute significantly. These bioactive food components interact with the gut microbiota, with gut bacteria modifying polyphenol bioavailability and activity, and with fiber, constituting the main energy source for colonic fermentation. This paper discusses the consequences of increasing the consumption of whole plant foods on the gut microbiota and subsequent implications for human health. In humans, whole grain cereals can modify fecal bacterial profiles, increasing relative numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Polyphenol-rich chocolate and certain fruits have also been shown to increase fecal bifidobacteria. The recent FLAVURS study provides novel information on the impact of high fruit and vegetable diets on the gut microbiota. Increasing whole plant food consumption appears to up-regulate beneficial commensal bacteria and may contribute toward the health effects of these foods.

Wholegrain oat-based cereals have prebiotic potential and low glycaemic index

Population studies show a positive association between increased dietary intake of wholegrains and reduced risk of cardiometabolic disorders. Consumption of wholegrain food has been associated with lower blood glucose and therefore may contribute to a low-glycaemic load diet. The ability to mediate a prebiotic modulation of gut microbiota has recently been suggested to have an inverse correlation with risk of cardiometabolic disease. To date very little work has been carried out on the functionality of wholegrain breakfast cereals in terms of glycaemic response or impact on gut microbiota. An investigation into identifying wholegrain-based breakfast cereals demonstrating both low glycaemic index (GI) and prebiotic attributes was performed. Afterin vitrodigestion, cereal samples were supplemented to pH-controlled anaerobic batch cultures of the human faecal microbiota. Total bacteria populations increased significantly (P < 0·05) in all treated cultures, and the fermentation of a wholegrain oat cluster cereal was associated with proliferation of theBifidobacteriumgenus (P = 0·02). Smaller, but significant increases in theBifidobacteriumgenus were observed for a further four oat-based cereals. Significant increases in theLactobacillus–Enterococcusgroup were observed for granola (P = 0·01), 100 % wholegrain aggregate (P = 0·04) and 70 % wholegrain loops (P = 0·01). Cereals demonstrating prebiotic potential were selected for GI determination in twelve healthy subjects. The wholegrain oat aggregate cereal achieved the lowest GI value (40), three other cereals ranged between 44 and 74, with instant porridge resulting in a GI value similar to the standard glucose control. The present study suggests that wholegrain oat-based breakfast cereals may be prebiotics and have the potential to have low GI.

Whole grains, legumes, and the subsequent meal effect: implications for blood glucose control and the role of fermentation

Whole grains and legumes are known to reduce postprandial glycemia and, in some instances, insulinemia. However, the subsequent meal effect of ingesting whole grains and legumes is less well known. That is, inclusion of whole grains or legumes at breakfast decreases postprandial glycemia at lunch and/or dinner on the same day whereas consumption of a whole grain or lentil dinner reduces glycemia at breakfast the following morning. This effect is lost upon milling, processing, and cooking at high temperatures. The subsequent meal effect has important implications for the control of day-long blood glucose, and may be partly responsible for the reduction in diabetes incidence associated with increased whole grain and legume intake. This paper describes the subsequent meal effect and explores the role of acute glycemia, presence of resistant starch, and fermentation of indigestible carbohydrate as the mechanisms responsible for this effect.