TABLE 3.
Effect of prebiotic interventions on gut microbiota and metabolic risk markers1
| Study (reference) | Description | Intervention | Results |
| Brahe et al. 2015 (124) | Danish obese women (n = 58); RCT, blinded; metagenomics | Lactobacillus paracasei F19 (9.4 × 1010 CFU/d), flaxseed mucilage (10 g/d), or placebo (maltodextrin); 6 wk | Flaxseed mucilage group: increased Bilophila wadsworthia, Parabacteroides merdae, and Parabacteroides johnsonii. Improved insulin sensitivity (OGTT) compared with placebo. Gut microbiota changes could not explain improved insulin sensitivity. |
| L. paracasei F19 group: minor alterations in gut microbiota, not significant compared with placebo. No effect on metabolic markers. | |||
| Vulevic et al. 2013 (19) | British overweight adults (n = 45) with metabolic disturbances; RCT, crossover, double-blind; FISH | GOS (5.5 g/d) or placebo (maltodextrin); 12 wk, 4 wk washout | GOS modulated the gut microbiota. Bifidobacterium species increased. |
| Clostridium histolyticum, Bacteroides, and Desulfovibrio species decreased. Biochemical changes: serum insulin, TC, TGs, CRP, and fecal calprotectin significantly reduced compared with placebo. | |||
| Dewulf et al. 2012 (18) | Belgish obese women (n = 30); RCT, double-blind; DNA microarray and qPCR | Inulin-type fructans (16 g/d) or placebo (maltodextrin); 12 wk | Inulin-type fructans modulated the gut microbiota. |
| At genus level: increase in F. prausnitzii, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus species. Decrease in Bacteroides intestinalis, B. vulgatus, and Propionibacterium. Biochemical changes: improved glycemia (OGTT), tendency toward reduced fat mass, and serum LPS compared with placebo. Bacteroides intestinalis, B. vulgatus, and Propionibacterium positively correlated with fat mass and glycemia. F. prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium negatively correlated with LPS. | |||
| Lecerf et al. 2012 (128) | French normal weight adults (n = 59); RCT, double-blind; qPCR | XOS (5 g/d) or XOS (1 g/d) + inulin (3 g/d) or placebo (maltodextrin); 4 wk | XOS and inulin modulated the gut microbiota: Bifidobacterium increased in both groups compared to placebo. Butyrate and propionate production increased in both group compared to placebo. Acetate production decreased in the XOS group compared to placebo. |
| Biochemical markers: plasma LPS decreased in the XOS + inulin group compared to placebo. |
1
All microbiota analyses are based on stool samples. Description is given as population (n); design; technique. CRP, C-reactive protein; FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization; GOS, galacto-oligosaccharides; OGTT, oral glucose tolerance test; RCT, randomized clinical trial; TC, total cholesterol; XOS; xylo-oligosaccharides.