Dose-dependent effects of apple pectin on alleviating high fat-induced obesity modulated by gut microbiota and SCFAs

Recently, pectin has been used as an alternative for commercial prebiotic products to modulate gut microbiota. In this study, the standard diet (Chow group) and high fat diet containing 0% (HF group), 1%, 3%, 5%, 8% or 12% (m/m) apple pectin (HF-P group) were offered ad libitum for 8 weeks to 4-week C57BL/6J mice (n = 10/group). Results showed that body weight gain (R-2 = -0.990), subcutaneous adipose accumulation (R-2 = -0.930), serum triglyceride elevation (R-2 = -0.879), acetate (R-2 = 0.955) and propionate concentration reduction (R-2 = 0.985) were suppressed by pectin from 1% to 12%, indicating dose response to pectin consumption. Moreover, abundance of obesity-related bacteria Coriobacteriaceae, and pectin-degradating bacteria, Faecalibaculum, Ruminococcus R-2 were 0.936, 0.963 and 0.937, respectively. Besides, attenuations for colonic injury and liver steatosis were observed after adding 5% and 8% obesity by modulating gut microbiota and enhancing short-chain fatty acids production. (C) 2021 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

Automated summary

This study found a dose-dependent relationship between pectin intake and changes in body weight, fat accumulation, serum triglyceride levels, and acetate and propionate concentrations. Additionally, pectin was found to modulate the gut microbiota and enhance short-chain fatty acid production, leading to attenuations in colonic injury and liver steatosis.