Water soluble dietary fiber from walnut meal as a prebiotic in preventing metabolic syndrome

• Published in: Journal of functional foods Vol. 78; p. 104358
• Main Authors: Wang, Guoliang, Zhong, Diying, Liu, Haohan, Yang, Tao, Liang, Qiqi, Wang, Jing, Zhang, Runguang, Zhang, Youlin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Dietary fiber; Gut microbiota; Metabolic syndrome; Walnut meal; Gut microbiota; Dietary fiber; Metabolic syndrome; Walnut meal
• ISSN: 1756-4646; 2214-9414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2021.104358

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•WMDF was mainly composed of arabinose, galactose and glucose.•WMDF could alleviate HF-induced metabolic disorders in mice.•WMDF intake could increase the production of SCFAs.•WMDF could improve the composition of gut microbiota in mice fed with HF.
Dietary fiber intake is associated with a low incidence of suffering from metabolic syndrome. To explore the potential health benefits of walnut meal dietary fiber (WMDF) as a prebiotic, the functional role of WMDF on metabolic syndrome in mice induced by high fructose diet (20%, HF) was investigated. The animal experiment results showed that administration of WMDF to HF-fed mice alleviated abnormal body weight gain, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism disorders and inflammation. Histopathological observation confirmed the preventative effects of WMDF on hepatic steatosis and vascular endothelial dysfunction. Also, WMDF intake increased the production of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. Moreover, WMDF ingestion effectively improved the disorder of gut microbiota caused by HF, increased the diversity of gut microbiota and the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids-producing bacteria. These findings demonstrate WMDF can be used as a prebiotic to prevent HF-induced metabolic syndrome.