Abstract
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has been reported to have a distinct influence on gut microbiota in comparison to other fats, with its physiological benefits widely studied. However, a large proportion of the population consumes olive oil after a depurative process that not only mellows its taste, but also deprives it of polyphenols and other minority components. In this study, we compare the influence on the intestinal microbiota of a diet high in this refined olive oil (ROO) with other fat-enriched diets. Swiss Webster mice were fed standard or a high-fat diet enriched with EVOO, ROO, or butter (BT). Physiological parameters were also evaluated. At the end of the feeding period, DNA was extracted from feces and the 16S rRNA was pyrosequenced. The group fed ROO behaved differently to the EVOO group in half the families with statistically significant differences among the diets, with higher comparative levels in three families—Desulfovibrionaceae, Spiroplasmataceae, and Helicobacteraceae—correlating with total cholesterol. These results are again indicative of a link between specific diets, certain physiological parameters and the prevalence of some taxa, but also support the possibility that polyphenols and minor components of EVOO are involved in some of the proposed effects of this fat through the modulation of the intestinal microbiota
Highlights
The negative effects of high-fat diets (HFD) on health, mainly favoring the condition known as metabolic syndrome and the worsening of several cardiovascular variables, have long been known [1]
Experimental procedures were followed as already described for three of the four diets in reference [12] (SD, standard chow diet; high-fat diets: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), standard chow enriched in virgin olive oil, and BT, standard chow enriched in butter, until reaching 35% of total energy in both cases)
Raw data corresponding to BT, EVOO, and standard diet (SD) were previously reported in Prieto et al (2018) [12]
Summary
The negative effects of high-fat diets (HFD) on health, mainly favoring the condition known as metabolic syndrome and the worsening of several cardiovascular variables, have long been known [1]. If the large intestine is viewed as a fermenter or a bioreactor, it seems reasonable to consider that food and the type of diet may be the main or one of the main factors exerting an effect on the microbiota that thrives within When this diet presents certain physiological distinctions, it is not illogical to consider that these variations could be produced, at least in part, throughout the bacterial metabolism, being this step necessary for the physiological outcome. One variable can certainly affect the other or vice versa or it could just happen that both of them are affected by the specific diet, with no interaction at all between the microbial taxon and the physiological variable
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