Interactive effects of oligofructose and obesity predisposition on gut hormones and microbiota in diet‐induced obese rats

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 769 - 778
• Main Authors: Cluny, Nina L., Eller, Lindsay K., Keenan, Catherine M., Reimer, Raylene A., Sharkey, Keith A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2015
• Subjects: Adiposity - drug effects; Animals; Body Composition - drug effects; Body Weight - drug effects; Diet; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Eating - drug effects; Gastrointestinal Hormones - metabolism; Ghrelin; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 - metabolism; Hormones; Male; Microbiota; Obesity; Obesity - drug therapy; Obesity - metabolism; Oligosaccharides - administration & dosage; Prebiotics; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rodents; Satiation; Weight control
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.21017

Objective Oligofructose (OFS) is a prebiotic that reduces energy intake and fat mass via changes in gut satiety hormones and microbiota. The effects of OFS may vary depending on predisposition to obesity. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of OFS in diet‐induced obese (DIO) and diet‐resistant (DR) rats. Methods Adult, male DIO, and DR rats were randomized to: high‐fat/high‐sucrose (HFS) diet or HFS diet + 10% OFS for 6 weeks. Body composition, food intake, gut microbiota, plasma gut hormones, and cannabinoid CB1 receptor expression in the nodose ganglia were measured. Results OFS reduced body weight, energy intake, and fat mass in both phenotypes (P < 0.05). Select gut microbiota differed in DIO versus DR rats (P < 0.05), the differences being eliminated by OFS. OFS did not modify plasma ghrelin or CB1 expression in nodose ganglia, but plasma levels of GIP were reduced and PYY were elevated (P < 0.05) by OFS. Conclusions OFS was able to reduce body weight and adiposity in both prone and resistant obese phenotypes. OFS‐induced changes in gut microbiota profiles in DIO and DR rats, along with changes in gut hormone levels, likely contribute to the sustained lower body weights.