The alga Euglena gracilis stimulates Faecalibacterium in the gut and contributes to increased defecation
The alga Euglena gracilis ( E. gracilis ) has recently gained attention as a health food, but its effects on human gut microbiota remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of E. gracilis on gut microbiota and defecation due to modulation of microbiota composition in vitro and in vivo....
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Published in | Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 1074 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Nature Publishing Group UK
13.01.2021
Nature Publishing Group Nature Portfolio |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The alga
Euglena gracilis
(
E. gracilis
) has recently gained attention as a health food, but its effects on human gut microbiota remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of
E. gracilis
on gut microbiota and defecation due to modulation of microbiota composition in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro model simulating human colonic microbiota revealed that
E. gracilis
addition stimulated the growth of commensal
Faecalibacterium
. Further,
E. gracilis
addition enhanced butyrate production by
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
. Paramylon, an insoluble dietary fibre that accumulates in
E. gracilis
and is the main component of
E. gracilis
, did not stimulate
Faecalibacterium
growth in vitro. Daily ingestion of 2 g of
E. gracilis
for 30 days increased bowel movement frequency as well as stool volume in 28 human participants. Collectively, these findings indicate that
E. gracilis
components other than paramylon, stimulate the growth of
Faecalibacterium
to improve digestive health as well as promote defecation by increasing butyrate production. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2045-2322 2045-2322 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-020-80306-0 |