Pear pomace fibre aids weight loss by boosting gut microbiota: China study
Researchers from the Agricultural University of Hebei in Baoding, China, say a study on rats showed it was IDF’s effect on the gut that induced the weight-loss, rather than the fibre’s impact on the rodents’ satiety hormone or hepatic metabolism, which they said were not significant.
The researchers said analysis of gut microbiota by high throughput amplicon sequencing showed IDF from pear pomace obviously improved its structure.
Because IDF can’t be absorbed, it remains in intestinal tract and has interaction with gut microbiota for a longer time.
The study involved four groups of rats – group one fed with a normal chow diet and a second fed normal chow with a high dietary fibre supplement.
The third group received a had high-fat diet, while the fourth group was given a high fat diet first, and then supplemented with dietary fibre diet.
The study found that when IDF from the pear pomace was given to rats fed a high-fat diet, the extra weight gain dropped, and their final body weight reached a level similar to rats fed a normal chow diet.
Food consumption
Meanwhile, rats fed with a normal chow diet and supplemented with IDF recorded an even lower final body weight compared with those rats fed only a normal chow diet.
Furthermore, the “effect of IDF on body weight loss was not due to reduced food consumption.”
Other findings revealed rats fed a high-fat diet also experienced more weight loss, and decreased cholesterol levels after IDF supplementation.
IDF also improved glucose homeostasis in rats promoted the growth of bacteroides and inhibited the growth of firmicutes in these rats’ guts.
“Compared with aspects of satiety hormone and hepatic metabolism, IDF showed more effects on gut microbiota,” researchers said.
“Our results suggested insoluble dietary fibre from pear pomace could prevent high-fat diet induced obesity in rats mainly by improving the structure of gut microbiota.”
Source: Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
“Insoluble dietary fiber from pear pomace can prevent high-fat diet induced obesity in rats mainly by improving the structure of gut microbiota.”
Authors: Shimin Chang, Xingtian Cui et al.
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