Cross-sectional analysis of the health profile and dietary intake of a sample of Canadian adults diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Dietary intake is an important factor in the development and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, optimal dietary composition remains unclear. Moreover, there is minimal evidence on the relationship between dietary intake and markers of liver health in Canadian adults diagnosed with NAFLD.

Objective: The aim of this study is to characterize the dietary intake of a sample of Canadian adults diagnosed with NAFLD and examine the correlations with markers of liver health.

Impaired Hypothalamic Microglial Activation in Offspring of Antibiotic-Treated Pregnant/Lactating Rats Is Attenuated by Prebiotic Oligofructose Co-Administration.

Microbial colonization of the gut early in life is crucial for the development of the immune and nervous systems, as well as influencing metabolism and weight gain. While early life exposure to antibiotics can cause microbial dysbiosis, prebiotics are non-digestible substrates that selectively promote the growth of beneficial gut microbiota. Our objective was to examine the effects of dietary prebiotic administration on the consequences of maternal antibiotic intake on offspring body weight, behavior, and neuroimmune responses later in life.

Prebiotic Oligofructose Prevents Antibiotic-Induced Obesity Risk and Improves Metabolic and Gut Microbiota Profiles in Rat Dams and Offspring.

Scope: Antibiotics in early life disrupt microbiota and increase obesity risk. Dietary agents such as prebiotics may reduce obesity risk. The authors examine how antibiotics administered with/without prebiotic oligofructose, alter metabolic and microbial outcomes in pregnant rats and their offspring.

Effect of chicory inulin-type fructan-containing snack bars on the human gut microbiota in low dietary fiber consumers in a randomized crossover trial.

Background: The low intake of dietary fiber compared to recommended amounts has been referred to as the dietary fiber gap. The addition of fiber to snack foods could favorably alter gut microbiota and help individuals meet intake recommendations.

Objectives: Our objective was to examine the effect of low- and moderate-dose fiber-containing snack bars, comprising mainly chicory root inulin-type fructans (ITF), on gut microbiota in healthy adults with habitual low dietary fiber intake using 16S ribosomal RNA-based approaches.

Maternal low-dose aspartame and stevia consumption with an obesogenic diet alters metabolism, gut microbiota and mesolimbic reward system in rat dams and their offspring.

Objective: We examined the impact of maternal low-dose aspartame and stevia consumption on adiposity, glucose tolerance, gut microbiota and mesolimbic pathway in obese dams and their offspring.

Design: Following obesity induction, female Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated during pregnancy and lactation to: (1) high fat/sucrose diet (HFS) +water (obese-WTR); (2) HFS +aspartame (obese-APM; 5-7 mg/kg/day); (3) HFS +stevia (obese-STV; 2-3 mg/kg/day). Offspring were weaned onto control diet and water and followed until 18 weeks.

Effect of Prebiotic on Microbiota, Intestinal Permeability, and Glycemic Control in Children With Type 1 Diabetes.

Context: Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have lower microbiota diversity and distinct gut microbial profiles that have been linked to changes in intestinal permeability. Prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates that alter gut microbiota and could potentially improve glycemic control and reduce intestinal permeability and thereby insulin sensitivity.

Objective: To determine the effect of prebiotics on glycemic control, gut microbiota, and intestinal permeability in children with T1D.

Maternal prebiotic supplementation reduces fatty liver development in offspring through altered microbial and metabolomic profiles in rats.

A maternal high-fat/sucrose diet, in the presence of maternal obesity, can program increased susceptibility to obesity and metabolic disease in offspring. In particular, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease risk is associated with poor maternal nutrition and obesity status, which may manifest via alterations in gut microbiota. Here, we report that in a preclinical model of diet-induced maternal obesity, maternal supplementation of a high-fat/sucrose diet with the prebiotic oligofructose improves glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and hepatic steatosis in offspring following a long-term high-fat/sucrose dietary challenge compared with offspring of untreated dams.

Impact of dietary fiber supplementation on modulating microbiota-host-metabolic axes in obesity.

Low dietary fiber intake is associated with higher rates of microbiota-associated chronic diseases such as obesity. Low-fiber diets alter not only microbial composition but also the availability of metabolic end products derived from fermentation of fiber. Our objective was to examine the effects of dietary fiber supplementation on gut microbiota and associated fecal and serum metabolites in relation to metabolic markers of obesity.

Prebiotics Reduce Body Fat and Alter Intestinal Microbiota in Children Who Are Overweight or With Obesity.

Background & Aims: It might be possible to manipulate the intestinal microbiota with prebiotics or other agents to prevent or treat obesity. However, little is known about the ability of prebiotics to specifically modify gut microbiota in children with overweight/obesity or reduce body weight. We performed a randomized controlled trial to study the effects of prebiotics on body composition, markers of inflammation, bile acids in fecal samples, and composition of the intestinal microbiota in children with overweight or obesity.

Prebiotic supplementation improves appetite control in children with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial.

Prebiotics have been shown to improve satiety in adults with overweight and obesity; however, studies in children are limited. We examined the effects of prebiotic supplementation on appetite control and energy intake in children with overweight and obesity. This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.