Effects of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) consumption on fecal microbiome of obese diabetic (db/db) mice

Abstract

Quinoa, a gluten‐free pseudocereal native from the Andes, is known for its high nutritional value. Our aim was to investigate the effect of quinoa consumption on fecal microbial ecology of db/db mice.The db/db mice were fed AIN‐93G diet (obese) or AIN‐93 supplemented with quinoa (quinoa) for eight weeks. Lean counterpart controls were fed with AIN‐93G diet (lean). Fecal bacterial communities were analyzed using gene sequencing of 16S rRNA. Data was analyzed with Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) v.1.8.0. Predicted metabolic profiles were analyzed with the online Galaxy version of PICRUSt. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in cecal contents were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography.Results showed that quinoa consumption induced significant differences in bacterial abundances. Quinoa group showed lean‐like abundances in Enterococcus, Turicibacter, and Akkermansia. The later has been negatively correlated with body weight. Interestedly, quinoa consumption delayed body weight gain during the first five weeks of dietary supplementation. Analysis of weighted UniFrac distances revealed a distinctive clustering of lean microbial communities from obese and quinoa groups (ANOSIM, P < 0.01). Contrasting with these results; the weighed analysis showed that quinoa group clustered separately from obese and lean. Out of the predicted metabolic functions, most significant differences were found in lean compared to obese and quinoa groups. Quinoa consumption was associated with lower cecal butyrate and succinic acid concentrations.These findings strongly indicate the complex interactions between diet, genetics, and gut microbial ecology, however further studies are needed to explore the clinical relevance of such interactions.Support or Funding InformationNew Faculty Seed Grant (# 3057‐9907)