How glycan metabolism shapes the human gut microbiota

Early-Life Sugar Consumption Affects the Rat Microbiome Independently of Obesity

“…A recent study identified both Alistipes and Bacteroides as being rapidly elevated in people who consumed an animalbased diet (consisting of meats, eggs, and cheese) compared with a plant-based diet (containing grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables) (17). Bacteroides are highly equipped to utilize polysaccharides and contain many enzymes for hydrolyzing glycans, suggesting that they might thrive on a more polysaccharide-rich diet (62,63). However, in our current study, rats that were fed sugar solutions consumed a greater proportion of calories from monosaccharides and a reduced contribution of calories from the polysaccharide-rich feed pellets (Lab Diet 5001).…”

“…Thus, the increased amount of Bacteroides observed in the sugar groups is unexpected. Koropatkin et al (63) postulated that elevated proportions of bacteria with glycolytic activity (e.g., Bacteroides) observed after the consumption of a high-fat and low-fiber diet could be consequent to the capacity for Bacteroides to metabolize host mucosal glycans. Thus, it is possible that the elevated consumption of simple sugars, which can be readily absorbed from the proximal intestine, promotes a competitive advantage for microbes in the distal gastrointestinal tract that are capable of finding an alternative food source (e.g., the host mucosal glycans).…”

Integration of ‘omics’ data in aging research: from biomarkers to systems biology

“…Thus, glycans might have many additional functions. For example, glycans in the gut act as food for microbes (Koropatkin et al ., 2012), which could be implicated in immune functions that are important in aging. Recent development allows the high‐throughput measurement of glycans of either a single protein or all proteins simultaneously (Royle et al ., 2008; Pucić et al ., 2011).…”

Le microbiote intestinal et la digestion des polysaccharides

“…La flore intestinale est un écosystème dynamique dont la composition peut varier considérablement au cours du temps [4], selon les états physiopathologiques et/ou les changements de régime alimentaire [5]. L'importante variabilité dans sa composition constatée entre les individus complique considérablement notre compréhension de la structuration et des fonctions du microbiote [6,7].…”

“…La quantité et le type de glucides apportés dans l'alimentation peuvent donc influencer considérablement les proportions entre les différentes bactéries intestinales et les fonctionnalités métaboliques associées [5,15]. Des glucides spécifiques, appelés prébiotiques, sont utilisés pour tenter de manipuler le microbiote intestinal.…”