A new paper by a PhD student has been published.
The present study examines how dietary fiber consumption influences future food preferences and its relationship with gut microbiota. We used C57BL/6NJcl male mice and divided them into two groups: one fed a control diet and the other an inulin-enriched diet for two weeks. Following this, both groups underwent a three-day behavioral test where they could choose between high-fat and high-sugar diets. The results showed that inulin-conditioned mice preferred the high-fat diet, associated with distinct gut microbiota profiles compared to the control group. Specifically, gut bacteria such as Oscillospiraceae sp., Bacteroides acidifaciens, and Clostridiales sp. were positively correlated with a fat preference. The findings suggest that dietary intervention can influence food preferences through changes in the gut microbiome. Further research involving fecal microbiota transplantation and neurotransmitter analysis is needed to confirm the causal role of the gut microbiota in food preference.
Liow YJ, Kamimura I, Umezaki M, Suda W, Takayasu L (2024) Dietary fiber induces a fat preference associated with the gut microbiota. PLoS ONE 19(7): e0305849. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305849