Effects of gut microbiota modulation with prebiotics on adipose and muscle tissue
Consuming foods containing prebiotics (substrates that nourish the beneficial gut microbiota) is potentially useful for modulating metabolic function on adipose tissue and the musculoskeletal system.
The significant role of the gut microbiota in regulating the body's metabolic functions has been widely recognized through numerous scientific studies. Therefore, attention has focused on studying the factors that allow for its modification in ways that could potentially benefit the host's metabolic functions.
One of the main factors that can modify the gut microbiota is diet, which is why it has been considered a valuable tool for achieving this beneficial goal. In recent decades, much research has been conducted on the favorable effects of a diet rich in probiotics and prebiotics on the gut microbiota, given their numerous and substantial health benefits.
A recent study investigated the effect of consuming foods with prebiotics that modulate the gut microbiota in order to control energy homeostasis in adipose tissue versus skeletal muscle.
It was considered that, for the skeletal muscle response, another important factor besides diet is physical activity, and that another study had demonstrated the diversity of the gut microbiota as a key factor in the variability of glucose control after diet and exercise. Accordingly, it was found that consuming foods with prebiotics can be a good strategy to increase the substrate for fermentation by the gut microbiota and thus improve the beneficial effects of exercise on energy metabolism.
These results reinforce the hypothesis that metabolic regulations occurring between different organs are associated with modifications of the gut microbiota.
The evidence that a diet with prebiotics can improve endocrine function and energy metabolism in most organs, such as adipose and muscle tissue, encourages intensified research studies on the application of appropriate tools to modulate the intestinal microbiota, such as fecal microbiota transplantation, prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics, in pursuit of holistic health.
References
Rodriguez, J., & Delzenne, N.M. (2021). Modulation of the gut microbiota-adipose tissue-muscle interactions by prebiotics, Journal of Endocrinology , 249 (1), R1-R23. Retrieved May 31, 2021
Liu Y, Wang Y, Ni Y, Cheung CKY, Lam KSL, Wang Y, Xia Z, Ye D, Guo J & Tse MA et al. 2020 Gut microbiome fermentation determines the efficacy of exercise for diabetes prevention. Cell Metabolism 31 77.e5–91.e5.