Effects of whole grain-bean mixed staple food on intestinal microecology and metabolic parameters of obese people

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of whole grain-bean mixed staple food on intestinal microecology, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters of obese people. Methods Totally 87 obese people were divided with random number table into whole grain-bean mixed staple food group (test group) and refined grains staple food group (control group). Body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist/hip ratio (WHR), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and colony count of intestinal flora (bacillus bifidus, lactobacillus, clostridium perfringens, enterobacteria, enterococcus, bacteroides) were measured at baseline and 3 months after intervention. Results Ten people were excluded from this research, 6 in the test group and 4 in the control group. After 3 months of dietary intervention, BW, BMI, WC, HC, and WHR were significantly lower in the test group than in the control group [(69.45±7.07) kg vs. (72.42±5.79) kg, P=0.000; (26.08±1.48) kg/m2vs. (27.27±0.81) kg/m2,P=0.000; (82.48±9.30) cm vs. (86.96±4.93) cm, P=0.000; (90.08±6.57) cm vs. (92.42±6.67) cm, P=0.000; 0.92±0.11vs. 0.95±0.10, P=0.003]. The levels of FPG, TC, and LDL-C in the test group were significantly lower than those in the control group [(4.92±0.75) mmoL/L vs. (5.41±1.21) mmoL/L, P=0.037; (3.85±1.13) mmoL/L vs. (4.38±1.26) mmoL/L, P=0.046; (3.55±1.04) mmoL/L vs. (4.16±1.40) mmoL/L, P=0.033]; the level of HDL-C in the test group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(1.13±0.37) mmoL/L vs. (0.92±0.26) mmoL/L, P=0.004]. The colony counts of intestinal bacillus bifidus, lactobacillus, and bacteroides in the test group were significantly higher than in the control group [(7.94±0.58) lg CFU/g vs. (6.95±0.38) lg CFU/g, P=0.000; (7.67±0.46) lg CFU/g vs. (6.96±0.57) lg CFU/g, P=0.000; (5.53±0.44) lg CFU/g vs. (4.80±0.23) lg CFU/g, P=0.000], while the colony count of clostridium perfringens was significantly lower than in the control group [(4.40±0.49) lg CFU/g vs. (5.11±0.63) lg CFU/g, P=0.000]. Conclusions In obese people, whole grain-bean mixed staple food can improve anthropometric parameters, some lipid metabolic parameters, and intestinal flora. The underlying mechanism may involve promoting the survival and proliferation of probiotics, thereby improving glucose and lipid metabolism. Key words: Whole grain; Bean; Dietary fiber; Obesity; Intestinal microecology