Abstract
An imbalanced dietary intake is associated with alteration of intestinal ecosystem. We investigated the impact of imbalanced diets on colonic microbiota, concentrations of short chain fatty acid in colonic digesta and serum immunoglobulins (Igs) of growing rats. Compared to the control diet, consuming diets high in fat, sucrose, or processed meat, or low in iron, increased the abundance of the pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella species, and decreased the beneficial bacteria, like Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, Phascolarctobacterium, Alistipes, and butyrate producing species of bacteria in the colon of growing rats. The heatmap of metagenomics indicated that each group was separated into distinct clusters, and the ID group in particular, showed significantly (P < 0.01) reduced alpha diversity of colonic microbiota in comparison to the control group. All experimental groups showed significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) decreased concentration of acetate and butyrate in the colonic digesta and lower levels of serum IgG or IgA, compared to the control. These results indicated that the imbalanced dietary intake negatively altered intestinal ecosystem and immunity.
Highlights
The genetic information of gut microbiota is regarded as the second genome of humans
The number of Clostridium, Enterobacteria, and E. coli strains significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) increased in rats fed high fat (HF), iron deficiency (ID), or processed meat (PM) diet compared to the control group, whereas those fed high sucrose (HS) diet showed a significantly (P < 0.01) lower number of Bifidobacteria in comparison to the control group
A significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) lower ratio of Lactobacillus to Enterobacteria was observed in animals on the ID or PM diet compared to the control
Summary
The genetic information of gut microbiota is regarded as the second genome of humans. A variety of studies have been conducted on the gut microbiota because its abnormal alteration is closely related with various health disorders such as asthma, obesity, and diabetes [1,2,3]. Composition of the gut microbiota is influenced by different factors like race, region, and diet [4]. The gut microbiota influences the enteric nervous system (ENS), which interacts with the central nervous system (CNS) of brain [9]. The balanced gut microbiota composition contributes to health promotion, whereas its abnormal state can result in the mental disorder by adversely affecting the ENS and CNS [10]. The desirable modulation of gut microbiota may prevent, and improve such mental disorders [11]
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