Changes in Fecal Gut Microbiome of Home Healthcare Patients with Disabilities through Consumption of Malted Rice Amazake.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in gut microbiome both during and after the consumption of malted rice amazake (MR-Amazake), a fermented food from Japan, in home healthcare patients with disabilities including patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID). We monitored 12 patients who consumed MR-Amazake for six weeks, investigating them before and after the intervention as well as six weeks after the end of intake to compare their physical condition, diet, the type of their medication, Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS), and an analysis of their comprehensive fecal microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. Their constipation symptom significantly alleviated and principal coordinates analysis revealed that 30% of patients showed significant changes in gut microbiome after MR-Amazake ingestion. Furthermore, Bifidobacterium was strongly associated with these changes. These changes were observed only during MR-Amazake intake; the original gut microbiome was restored when MR-Amazake intake was discontinued. These results suggest that six weeks is a reasonable period of time for MR-Amazake to change human gut microbiome and that continuous consumption of MR-Amazake is required to sustain such changes.