Effect of Standardized Grape Powder Consumption on the Gut Microbiome of Healthy Subjects: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 13; no. 11; p. 3965
• Main Authors: Yang, Jieping, Kurnia, Patrick, Henning, Susanne M., Lee, Rupo, Huang, Jianjun, Garcia, Michael C., Surampudi, Vijaya, Heber, David, Li, Zhaoping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 06.11.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Adult; Akkermansia - drug effects; Bifidobacterium; Bifidobacterium - drug effects; bile acids; Bile Acids and Salts - metabolism; blood; body composition; California; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol - metabolism; Dialister; Diet; Digestive system; Feces; Female; Fruits; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - drug effects; Gut microbiota; Healthy Volunteers; high density lipoprotein cholesterol; Humans; intestinal microorganisms; Lipids; low density lipoprotein cholesterol; Male; Metabolism; Microbiota; Middle Aged; Nutrition research; Pilot Projects; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Polyphenols; Polyphenols - metabolism; Powders; Sample size; species diversity; Standardization; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides - blood; Verrucomicrobia; Verrucomicrobia - drug effects; Vitis - chemistry; Young Adult; Los Angeles California; United States > US; California; grape powder; cholesterol; healthy adults; gut microbiome; bile acids
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu13113965

Grapes provide a rich source of polyphenols and fibers. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the daily consumption of 46 g of whole grape powder, providing the equivalent of two servings of California table grapes, on the gut microbiome and cholesterol/bile acid metabolism in healthy adults. This study included a 4-week standardization to a low-polyphenol diet, followed by 4 weeks of 46 g of grape powder consumption while continuing the low-polyphenol diet. Compared to the baseline, 4 weeks of grape powder consumption significantly increased the alpha diversity index of the gut microbiome. There was a trend of increasing Verrucomicrobia (p = 0.052) at the phylum level, and a significant increase in Akkermansia was noted. In addition, there was an increase in Flavonifractor and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-010, but a decrease in Bifidobacterium and Dialister at the genus level. Grape powder consumption significantly decreased the total cholesterol by 6.1% and HDL cholesterol by 7.6%. There was also a trend of decreasing LDL cholesterol by 5.9%, and decreasing total bile acid by 40.9%. Blood triglyceride levels and body composition were not changed by grape powder consumption. In conclusion, grape powder consumption significantly modified the gut microbiome and cholesterol/bile acid metabolism.