Table 5.
Evidence from human studies relative to fats effects on the gut microbiota composition of healthy adults.
| Ref. | Treatments | Study Type | Study Subjects | Analytic Technique | Results | Results | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fats vs. Control (C) | Differences vs. Basal Point | Differences between Treatment Groups | Differences vs. Control (C) | ||||
| [87] | Soybean Oil diet | Randomized, parallel | 217 (114 W/103 M) | 16s RNA gene Sequencing | (1) Low fat: ↑Blautia, Fecalibacterium | (1) Low vs. High: ↑α-diversity (Shannon index) | -- |
| Low (Fat: 20% total energy), Medium (30%) and High (40%) | |||||||
| Age: 23 y | (V3-V4 regions, Illumina) | (2) Medium fat: ↑Bacteroidetes | (2) High vs. Low: ↑Bacteroidetes, Alistipes, Bacteroides | ||||
| BMI: 19–24 kg/m2 | |||||||
| (3) High fat: ↑Bacteroidetes, Alistipes, Bacteroides | |||||||
| Duration: 6 months | ↓Firmicutes, Blautia, Fecalibacterium | ||||||
| C:Comparison to basal point | ↓Firmicutes, Fecalibacterium | ||||||
| [88] | Saturated fat (dairy or butter) | Randomized, controlled, parallel | 109 (No gender data) | 16s RNA gene Sequencing | -- | -- | ↔α-diversity (Shannon), |
| (15% total energy) | β-diversity (Unifrac) | ||||||
| (V4 region, Illumina) | Changes in 57 bacterial genus | ||||||
| Duration: 4 wks | Age: 21–65 y | ||||||
| C: Low fat diet (7% saturated fat) | BMI: 18–36 kg/m2 | ||||||
| [89] | Omega-3 Drink (D) or capsules (C) (2000 mg/d DHA + 2000 mg/d EPA) | Randomized, DB, crossover | 22 (12 W/10 M) | 16s RNA gene Sequencing | D and C: ↔α-diversity (Shannon index), β-diversity (Unifrac) | D: ↑Lachnospira, Roseburia | -- |
| Age: 51–65 y | |||||||
| BMI: 22–34 kg/m2 | (V4 region, Illumina) | ||||||
| Duration: 8 wks | ↑Clostridiaceae, Sutterellaceae, Akkermansiaceae, Oscillospira, Lachnospira, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus | ||||||
| C: No control group. | |||||||
| Comparison to basal point | |||||||
| ↓Coprococcus, Fecalibacterium | |||||||
| [90] | Dairy Cream (48% SFA) (341 mL/d) | Randomized, parallel | 25 (0 W/25 M) | 16s RNA gene Sequencing | ↔α-diversity (Shannon), | -- | -- |
| Age: 23 y | β-diversity (Unifrac) | ||||||
| Duration: 1 wk | BMI: 21–25 kg/m2 | (V4 region, Illumina) | ↑Betaproteobacterias, ↓Bacteroidaceae | ||||
| C: No control group. | |||||||
| Comparison to basal point | |||||||
| [91] | (1) Semi-skimmed ewe’s milk yogurt (ES)(2.8% fat) (250 g/d) | Randomized, DB, crossover | 30 (16 W/14 M) | qPCR | -- | (1) CW vs. ES: ↑C. leptum group | -- |
| Age: 42 y | |||||||
| (2) Whole ewe’s milk yogurt | BMI: 19–28 kg/m2 | ↔Bacteroides, F. prausnitzii, | |||||
| (EW) (5.8% fat) (250 g/d) | Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, | ||||||
| Duration: 5 wks | |||||||
| C: Cow whole’s milk yogurt (CW) (3.0% fat) (250 g/d) | Enterococcus spp | ||||||
| (2) Women (Highest ratio of total cholesterol/HDL–cho): EW vs. ES: | |||||||
| ↓B. coccoides-E. rectale |
↔ No changes; Not applicable; BMI: Body mass index; CW: Cow’s milk yogurt; DB: double-blind; DHA: Docosahexaenoic acid; EPA: Eicosapentaenoic acid; ES: Semi-skimmed milk yogurt; EW: whole ewe’s milk yogurt; M: Men; SFA: Saturated fatty acids; W: Women; wk: week; y: years. ↑: increase; ↓: decrease.