1-kestose and Diabetes-Mellitus--Type-2

The fructooligosaccharide 1-kestose cannot be hydrolyzed by gastrointestinal enzymes, and is instead fermented by the gut microbiota. Previous studies suggest that 1-kestose promotes increases in butyrate concentrations in vitro and in the ceca of rats. Low levels of butyrate-producing microbiota are frequently observed in the gut of patients and experimental animals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, little is known about the role of 1-kestose in increasing the butyrate-producing microbiota and improving the metabolic conditions in type 2 diabetic animals. Here, we demonstrate that supplementation with 1-kestose suppressed the development of diabetes in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, possibly through improved glucose tolerance. We showed that the cecal contents of rats fed 1-kestose were high in butyrate and harbored a higher proportion of the butyrate-producing genus Anaerostipes compared to rats fed a control diet. These findings illustrate how 1-kestose modifications to the gut microbiota impact glucose metabolism of T2D, and provide a potential preventative strategy to control glucose metabolism associated with dysregulated insulin secretion.

Topics: Animals; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; C-Peptide; Cecum; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Progression; Drinking; Fasting; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Glucose; Insulin; Organ Size; Rats; Trisaccharides