Open AccessThe intestinal microbiota in aged mice is modulated by dietary resistant starch and correlated with improvements in host responses
Author(s) -
Tachon Sybille,
Zhou June,
Keenan Michael,
Martin Roy,
Marco Maria L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01475.x
Subject(s) - biology , akkermansia , bacteroidetes , firmicutes , amylopectin , gut flora , resistant starch , bifidobacterium , bacteroides , proteobacteria , lactobacillus , actinobacteria , food science , clostridia , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , starch , amylose , biochemistry , 16s ribosomal rna , genetics , fermentation
Dietary interventions might prevent or reverse age‐related declines in health through modification of the activity and composition of the intestinal microbiota. As a first step toward more comprehensive evaluations of single dietary components on healthy aging, 16 S r RNA gene amplicon sequencing was applied to determine the structure of the bacterial communities in the ceca of 20‐month‐old healthy mice fed energy‐controlled diets containing 0, 18, or 36% type 2 resistant starch ( RS ) from high‐amylose maize ( HAM ‐ RS 2). The cecal microbiota of mice fed a diet depleted in RS and containing the readily digestible carbohydrate amylopectin were dominated by bacteria in the Firmicutes phylum and contained low levels of B acteroidetes and A ctinobacteria. In contrast, mice fed diets containing HAM ‐ RS 2 were colonized by higher levels of B acteroidetes and B ifidobacterium , A kkermansia , and A llobaculum species in proportions that were dependent on the concentration of the dietary fiber. The proportions of B ifidobacterium and A kkermansia were positively correlated with mouse feeding responses, gut weight, and expression levels of proglucagon, the precursor of the gut anti‐obesity/diabetic hormone GLP ‐1. This study showed that aging mice harbor a distinct microbiota, which can be modulated by RS and enriched for bacteria that are associated with improved health.