HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Gut bacteria selectively promoted by dietary fibers alleviate type 2 diabetes.

Study Abstract

The gut microbiota benefits humans via short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production from carbohydrate fermentation, and deficiency in SCFA production is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We conducted a randomized clinical study of specifically designed isoenergetic diets, together with fecal shotgun metagenomics, to show that a select group of SCFA-producing strains was promoted by dietary fibers and that most other potential producers were either diminished or unchanged in patients with T2DM. When the fiber-promoted SCFA producers were present in greater diversity and abundance, participants had better improvement in hemoglobin A1c levels, partly via increased glucagon-like peptide-1 production. Promotion of these positive responders diminished producers of metabolically detrimental compounds such as indole and hydrogen sulfide. Targeted restoration of these SCFA producers may present a novel ecological approach for managing T2DM.

Study Information

Science. 2018 Mar 9;359(6380):1151-1156. doi: 10.1126/science.aao5774. PMID: 29590046.

Full Study

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29590046/