Bannon, C.D., Eckenberger, J., Snelling, W.J. et al. (16 more authors) (2021) Low-Molecular-Weight Seaweed-Derived Polysaccharides Lead to Increased Faecal Bulk but Do Not Alter Human Gut Health Markers. Foods, 10 (12). ARTN 2988. ISSN 2304-8158
Abstract
Seaweeds are potentially sustainable crops and are receiving significant interest because of their rich bioactive compound content; including fatty acids, polyphenols, carotenoids, and complex polysaccharides. However, there is little information on the in vivo effects on gut health of the polysaccharides and their low-molecular-weight derivatives. Herein, we describe the first investigation into the prebiotic potential of low-molecular-weight polysaccharides (LMWPs) derived from alginate and agar in order to validate their in vivo efficacy. We conducted a randomized; placebo-controlled trial testing the impact of alginate and agar LWMPs on faecal weight and other markers of gut health and on composition of gut microbiota. We show that these LMWPs led to significantly increased faecal bulk (20–30%). Analysis of gut microbiome composition by sequencing indicated no significant changes attributable to treatment at the phylum and family level, although FISH analysis showed an increase in Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in subjects consuming agar LMWP. Sequence analysis of gut bacteria corroborated with the FISH data, indicating that alginate and agar LWMPs do not alter human gut microbiome health markers. Crucially, our findings suggest an urgent need for robust and rigorous human in vivo testing—in particular, using refined seaweed extracts.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). |
Keywords: | faecal bulk; seaweed; bacteriome; health benefits |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Food Science and Nutrition (Leeds) > FSN Nutrition and Public Health (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Jul 2024 14:12 |
Last Modified: | 10 Jul 2024 14:12 |
Published Version: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/12/2988 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/foods10122988 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:214612 |