Postnatal prebiotic fibre intake mitigates some detrimental metabolic outcomes of early overnutrition in rats

• Published in: European journal of nutrition Vol. 55; no. 8; pp. 2399 - 2409
• Main Authors: Reid, Danielle T., Eller, Lindsay K., Nettleton, Jodi E., Reimer, Raylene A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body Composition; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Dietary Fiber - administration & dosage; Energy Intake; Fatty Acids, Volatile - metabolism; Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide - blood; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Ghrelin - blood; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 - metabolism; Glucose Tolerance Test; Insulin - blood; Islet Amyloid Polypeptide - blood; Leptin - blood; Male; Nutrition; Oligosaccharides - administration & dosage; Organ Size; Original Contribution; Overnutrition - diet therapy; Peptide YY - blood; Prebiotics - administration & dosage; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Weight Gain; Gut microbiota; Postnatal overfeeding; Satiety hormones; Glycaemia; Oligofructose
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215; 1435-1293
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-015-1047-2

Purpose Overnutrition during early development has been linked to metabolic disease and obesity in adulthood. Interventions to ameliorate this metabolic malprogramming are needed. Our objective was to determine whether prebiotic fibre would reduce weight gain and improve satiety hormone profiles in rats overnourished during the suckling period. Methods Male Sprague–Dawley rats reared in small litter (SL 3 pups) or normal litter (NL 12 pups) were randomized at weaning to AIN-93 (control) or a 10 % oligofructose (OFS) diet for 16 weeks. Body composition, an oral glucose tolerance test for glucose and gut hormones, and gut microbiota were assessed. Results At weaning, body weight was higher in SL than in NL rats ( P  < 0.03). At 19 weeks, body weight was lower with OFS than control ( P  < 0.04). There was a diet × litter size interaction wherein OFS in SL rats reduced body fat (%) to levels seen in NL rats ( P  < 0.05). OFS attenuated the glucose response in SL but not in NL rats ( P  < 0.015). Independent of litter size, OFS decreased total AUC for glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide ( P  < 0.002) and increased total AUC for peptide YY ( P  < 0.01) and glucagon-like peptide-1 ( P  < 0.04) when compared to control. OFS, not litter size, played the predominant role in altering gut microbiota which included increased bifidobacteria and Akkermansia muciniphila with OFS. Conclusions Postnatal consumption of OFS by rats raised in SL was able to attenuate body fat and glycaemia to levels seen in NL rats. OFS appears to influence satiety hormone and gut microbiota response similarly in overnourished and control rats.