Dietary Fibers Alleviate T2D by Promoting SCFA-Producing Gut Bacteria

A randomized clinical study of specifically designed isoenergetic diets, together with fecal shotgun metagenomics, showed that a select group of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing strains of the gut microbiota was promoted by dietary fibers, and correlated with improved blood-glucose regulation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). The improvement in hemoglobin A1c levels was partly via increased glucagon-like peptide-1 production. Promotion of the positive responders diminished producers of metabolically detrimental compounds such as indole and hydrogen sulfide. SCFAs act as an energy source to the colonic epithelium and are also sensed by host signaling pathways that modulate appetite and inflammation. Deficiency of gut SCFAs is associated with T2D. The gut microbiota benefits humans via SCFA production from carbohydrate fermentation. Source: http://science.sciencemag.org/