Beef, Casein, and Soy Proteins Differentially Affect Lipid Metabolism, Triglycerides Accumulation and Gut Microbiota of High-Fat Diet-Fed C57BL/6J Mice

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 9; p. 2200
• Main Authors: Ijaz, Muhammad Umair, Ahmed, Muhammad Ijaz, Zou, Xiaoyou, Hussain, Muzahir, Zhang, Min, Zhao, Fan, Xu, Xinglian, Zhou, Guanghong, Li, Chunbao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 24-09-2018
• Subjects: diet induced obesity; dietary proteins; gut microbiota; lipid metabolism; Microbiology; triglyceride accumulation; triglyceride accumulation; diet induced obesity; dietary proteins; gut microbiota; lipid metabolism
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02200

Consumption of dietary protein at recommended levels is considered a potential strategy to promote satiety and weight management, but how protein from different dietary sources effect the obesity development, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota is not known. This study focused on the effects of beef, casein, and soy protein diet on lipid metabolism, triglycerides accumulation, and microbial diversity in colon of C57BL/6J mice, which were given either low-fat diets (LFD, 12% Kcal) or high-fat diets (HFD, 60% Kcal) for 12 weeks. Body and liver weight increased significantly in mice fed a beef protein HFD (HFB), whereas reduced cumulative energy intake was seen in a soy protein HFD (HFS) group. HFB-fed mice showed signs of impaired glucose metabolism and insulin resistance along with a significant elevation in the concentration of triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, IL1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and leptin in serum. HFB also enhanced lipid accumulation in liver with increased activity of genes important for lipogenesis and hepatic cholesterol metabolism. A 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that HFD, regardless of proteins, significantly enhanced the ratio of
to
in colonic microbiota. However, HFB not only reduced the abundance of
, compared with LFD independent of proteins, but also decreased the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria such as
,
, and
(
< 0.05) compared with HFS and HFC. In conclusion, consumption of HFB does not only affect the gut microbiota composition but also increases the problems related to metabolic syndromes like dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, and triglycerides accumulation in liver, which lead to systemic inflammation and its associated comorbidities, for example, impaired glucose metabolism and insulin resistance.