Abstract
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex metabolic disease, which involves a maintained hyperglycemia due to the development of an insulin resistance process. Among multiple risk factors, host intestinal microbiota has received increasing attention in T2D etiology and progression. In the present study, we have explored the effect of long-term supplementation with a non-dairy fermented food product (FFP) in Zucker Diabetic and Fatty (ZDF) rats T2D model. The supplementation with FFP induced an improvement in glucose homeostasis according to the results obtained from fasting blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance test, and pancreatic function. Importantly, a significantly reduced intestinal glucose absorption was found in the FFP-treated rats. Supplemented animals also showed a greater survival suggesting a better health status as a result of the FFP intake. Some dissimilarities have been observed in the gut microbiota population between control and FFP-treated rats, and interestingly a tendency for better cardiometabolic markers values was appreciated in this group. However, no significant differences were observed in body weight, body composition, or food intake between groups. These findings suggest that FFP induced gut microbiota modifications in ZDF rats that improved glucose metabolism and protected from T2D development.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by a chronic hyperglycemia preceded by a deranged insulin sensitivity and/or synthesis
No significant differences between groups were observed in Fasting blood glucose (FBG) values basally (Figure 1A)
Initial and final FBG values were compared in the control group (C group) showing no statistical significant differences, despite the observed differences were very high (p = 0.125); on the other hand, initial and final FBG values in the T group are comparable and no statistically significant differences were found (p = 0.625) (Figure 1B)
Summary
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by a chronic hyperglycemia preceded by a deranged insulin sensitivity and/or synthesis. This chronic non-communicable disease accounts for the vast majority of cases of diabetes, more than 90% [1], being one of the most prevalent illnesses. There is evidence that diabetes occurs in association with a compromised gut environment and a large body of research highlights a plausible connection between T2D and GM [9,10,11]. A compromised abundance of beneficial bacteria [12] or increase of infrequent species [13] have been reported in T2D and obese individuals
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