Effect of a Nutritionally Balanced Diet Comprising Whole Grains and Vegetables Alone or in Combination with Probiotic Supplementation on the Gut Microbiota.
Prev Nutr Food Sci, 2021/6/30;26(2):121-131.
Oh YJ[1, 2], Nam K[1], Kim Y[1], Lee SY[1], Kim HS[3], Kang JI[1], Lee SY[1], Hwang KT[2]
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PMID: 34316477DOI: 10.3746/pnf.2021.26.2.121
Abstract
Dysbiosis is a microbial imbalance, which often causes diseases and can be triggered by diet. Here, we deter-mined the effect of a nutritionally balanced diet rich in vegetables and whole grains alone and/or in combination with probiotics on the gut microbiota of healthy adults. We conducted a parallel-group randomized trial enrolling 63 healthy participants who were administered either a balanced diet (B-diet group), a probiotic capsule containing Lactobacillus plantarum PMO 08 (probiotics group), or a balanced diet plus probiotic capsule (synbiotics group) once daily for 2 weeks. The gut microbiota of each participant was analyzed via 16S ribosomal RNA MiSeq-based sequencing. Gastrointestinal symptoms and defecation habits were evaluated using questionnaires. The B-diet group showed significantly reduced Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio (P<0.05) and abundances of the genera Blautia (P<0.01), Dorea (P<0.05), and Lachnoclostridium (P<0.05). Furthermore, the abundance of Bacteroides increased (P<0.05) compared to baseline levels. In the synbiotics group, Lactobacillus abundance increased significantly (P<0.05) and defecation difficulty decreased (P<0.05), confirming a synergistic effect of combined intake. All groups showed a significant reduction in the abundance of Clostridiaceae (P<0.001) and alleviation of bloating symptoms (P<0.05). Moreover, the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium significantly increased in the probiotics group (P<0.05). Therefore, the individual or combined intake of a nutritionally balanced diet and L. plantarum PMO 08 beneficially modifies the gut microbiota with the potential to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms and improve defecation habits.
Keywords: Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio; Lactobacillus plantarum PMO 08; gut health; gut microbiota; nutritionally balanced diet
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