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Foods
Special Issues
Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition
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Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 8465

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jichun Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: probiotic; functional food; bioactive; gut microbiota; fermented vegetables
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nan Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agro-Products Processing Science and Technology, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Interests: fermented plant-based products; probiotics; prebiotics; functional metabolites from fermented plant-based products; postbiotics from fermented plant-based products; gut microbiota and fermented plant-based products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diets are a well-known critical contributor to health and conditions. Accumulated evidence demonstrates that there are significant associations between gut microbes and dietary habits, foods, and nutrients. Certain diets or nutrients can regulate the gut microbiota, like increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria and decreasing the proration of bad bacteria, which can restore the microbial structure and be beneficial to health. On the other hand, some food components like glucosinolates are difficult to digest in the upper gastrointestinal tract and must finally be converted to bioactive metabolites by intestinal microbes. Due to the complexity of diets and the difficulty of measuring their components, the details of the correlation between diets and microbes need to further be investigated, which will enhance our understanding of dietary strategy in complying with conditions.

Dr. Jichun Zhao
Dr. Nan Zhao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • food components
  • dietary habits
  • metabolism
  • modulation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

2 pages, 169 KiB  
Editorial
The Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits and Gut Microbiota Composition
by Jichun Zhao and Nan Zhao
Foods 2023, 12(20), 3780; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12203780 - 14 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1196
Abstract
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, claimed that “All disease begins in the gut”, while modern scientific studies show that a lot of diseases are at least correlated to the gut, which contains trillions of microbes [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition)

Research

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19 pages, 4224 KiB  
Article
Association between Gut Microbiota Profiles, Dietary Intake, and Inflammatory Markers in Overweight and Obese Women
by Orada Chansa, Prapimporn Chattranukulchai Shantavasinkul, Wutarak Monsuwan and Jintana Sirivarasai
Foods 2024, 13(16), 2592; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13162592 - 19 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1244
Abstract
Being overweight and obesity are significant global public health challenges due to their association with adipose tissue dysfunction, pro-inflammatory marker production, and alterations in gut microbiota composition. To explore the relationship between gut microbiota, dietary factors, and inflammatory markers in overweight or obese [...] Read more.
Being overweight and obesity are significant global public health challenges due to their association with adipose tissue dysfunction, pro-inflammatory marker production, and alterations in gut microbiota composition. To explore the relationship between gut microbiota, dietary factors, and inflammatory markers in overweight or obese women, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving a healthy group (n = 20) and an overweight or obese group (n = 75). We collected data, including clinical, anthropometric, and dietary assessments, and carried out a blood biochemical analysis, the measurement of inflammatory biomarkers (hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α), and the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples. The gut microbiota analysis revealed notable differences in alpha and beta diversity between the two groups. Moreover, the abundance of gut microbiota in the overweight or obese group correlated positively with adiposity markers, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers. These findings highlight significant changes in gut microbiota associated with obesity, potentially implicating pathways such as lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in obesity could reveal specific avenues for intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition)
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14 pages, 1811 KiB  
Article
Sulforaphane Ameliorates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Metabolic Abnormalities in Young and Middle-Aged Obese Male Mice
by Jing Luo, Hana Alkhalidy, Zhenquan Jia and Dongmin Liu
Foods 2024, 13(7), 1055; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13071055 - 29 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1562
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is still a fast-growing health problem globally. It is evident that chronic insulin resistance (IR) and progressive loss of β-cell mass and function are key features of T2D etiology. Obesity is a leading pathogenic factor for developing IR. The [...] Read more.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is still a fast-growing health problem globally. It is evident that chronic insulin resistance (IR) and progressive loss of β-cell mass and function are key features of T2D etiology. Obesity is a leading pathogenic factor for developing IR. The aim of the present study was to determine whether sulforaphane (SFN), a natural compound derived from cruciferous vegetables, can prevent (prevention approach) or treat (treatment approach) obesity and IR in mouse models. We show that dietary intake of SFN (0.5 g/kg of HFD) for 20 weeks suppressed high-fat diet (HFD)-induced fat accumulation by 6.04% and improved insulin sensitivity by 23.66% in young male mice. Similarly, dietary provision of SFN (0.25 g/kg) significantly improved blood lipid profile, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity of the middle-aged male mice while it had little effects on body composition as compared with the HFD group. In the treatment study, oral administration of SFN (40 mg/kg) induced weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity and plasma lipid profile in the diet-induced-obesity (DIO) male mice. In all three studies, the metabolic effects of SFN administration were not associated with changes in food intake. In vitro, SFN increased glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes and increased fatty acid and pyruvate oxidation in primary human skeletal muscle cells. Our results suggest that SFN may be a naturally occurring insulin-sensitizing agent that is capable of improving the metabolic processes in HFD-induced obesity and IR and thereby may be a promising compound for T2D prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition)
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18 pages, 1591 KiB  
Article
Microbial-Transferred Metabolites and Improvement of Biological Activities of Green Tea Catechins by Human Gut Microbiota
by You Su, Kaiyin Hu, Daxiang Li, Huimin Guo, Li Sun and Zhongwen Xie
Foods 2024, 13(5), 792; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13050792 - 4 Mar 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1575
Abstract
Green tea catechins (GTCs) are dietary polyphenols with broad bioactivities that undergo extensive microbial metabolism in the human gut. However, microbial-transferred metabolites and their health benefits are not fully understood. Herein, the microbial metabolism of GTCs by human fecal microbiota and dynamic alteration [...] Read more.
Green tea catechins (GTCs) are dietary polyphenols with broad bioactivities that undergo extensive microbial metabolism in the human gut. However, microbial-transferred metabolites and their health benefits are not fully understood. Herein, the microbial metabolism of GTCs by human fecal microbiota and dynamic alteration of the microbiota were integrally investigated via in vitro anaerobic fermentation. The results showed that the human gut microbiota exhibited a strong metabolic effect on GTCs via UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. A total of 35 microbial-transferred metabolites were identified, far more than were identified in previous studies. Among them, five metabolites, namely EGCG quinone, EGC quinone, ECG quinone, EC quinone, and mono-oxygenated EGCG, were identified for the first time in fermented GTCs with the human gut microbiota. Consequently, corresponding metabolic pathways were proposed. Notably, the antioxidant, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the GTCs sample increased after fermentation compared to those of the initial unfermented sample. The results of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the GTCs significantly altered gut microbial diversity and enriched the abundancy of Eubacterium, Flavonifractor, etc., which may be further involved in the metabolisms of GTCs. Thus, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between GTCs and gut microbiota, as well as the health benefits of green tea consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition)
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19 pages, 5198 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of the Effects of Whole Cereals and Refined Cereals on Intestinal Microbiota
by Dan Yu, Li Zhu, Minjie Gao, Zhongwei Yin, Zijian Zhang, Ling Zhu and Xiaobei Zhan
Foods 2023, 12(15), 2847; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152847 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1525
Abstract
Cereals are one of the most important foods on which human beings rely to sustain basic life activities and are closely related to human health. This study investigated the effects of different steamed buns on intestinal microbiota. Three steamed buns were prepared using [...] Read more.
Cereals are one of the most important foods on which human beings rely to sustain basic life activities and are closely related to human health. This study investigated the effects of different steamed buns on intestinal microbiota. Three steamed buns were prepared using refined flour (RF), 1:1 mixed flour (MF), and whole wheat flour (WF). In vitro digestion simulations were conducted using a bionic gastrointestinal reactor (BGR) to examine their influence on intestinal microbiota. The results showed that at 0.5% addition, butyric acid and short-chain fatty acids in WF were significantly different from those in RF and MF (p < 0.05). WF also promoted the proliferation of beneficial microbiota, such as Megamonas and Subdoligranulum. At 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% additions of WF, acetic acid and short-chain fatty acids at 1.5% WF increased by 1167.5% and 11.4% from 0.5% WF, respectively, and by 20.2% and 7.6% from 1.0% WF, respectively. WF also promoted the proliferation of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Bacteroides and inhibited the growth of pathogenic microbiota, such as Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Klebsiella. These findings support the consumption of whole cereals and offer insights into the development of new functional foods derived from wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition)
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Review

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21 pages, 1375 KiB  
Review
The Effects of Interventions with Glucosinolates and Their Metabolites in Cruciferous Vegetables on Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review
by Jichun Zhao, Xiaoqin Zhang, Fuhua Li, Xiaojuan Lei, Lihong Ge, Honghai Li, Nan Zhao and Jian Ming
Foods 2024, 13(21), 3507; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213507 - 1 Nov 2024
Viewed by 675
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract which affects millions of individuals worldwide. Despite advancements in treatment options, there is increasing interest in exploring natural interventions with minimal side effects. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and [...] Read more.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract which affects millions of individuals worldwide. Despite advancements in treatment options, there is increasing interest in exploring natural interventions with minimal side effects. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and radishes, contain bioactive compounds known as glucosinolates (GLSs), which have shown promising effects in alleviating IBD symptoms. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the physiological functions and mechanisms of cruciferous GLSs and their metabolites in the context of IBD. Reviewed studies demonstrated that GLSs attenuated all aspects of IBD, including regulating the intestinal microbiota composition, exerting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, restoring intestinal barrier function, and regulating epigenetic mechanisms. In addition, a few interventions with GLS supplementation in clinical studies were also discussed. However, there are still several challenges and remaining knowledge gaps, including variations in animals’ experimental outcomes, the bioavailability of certain compounds, and few clinical trials to validate their effectiveness in human subjects. Addressing these issues will contribute to a better understanding of the therapeutic potential of cruciferous GLSs and their metabolites in the management of IBD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Links between Food Components, Dietary Habits, and Gut Microbiota Composition)
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