This article contains findings obtained from research on animals:
- The results from animal research studies should not be directly applied to humans and the results may not generalise to the human population.
- There may be significant differences between species in terms of physiology, physiology, and pharmacology, as well as differences in the way diseases and treatments are modelled in animals.
- Any conclusions drawn from animal research should be considered with caution and in the context of other types of research studies such as observational studies, clinical trials, and reviews of the literature.
Insights & Discussion
Adzuki beans, when added to a high-fat diet, lessen obesity, improve liver function, enhance insulin sensitivity, and balance gut microbiota.
In the experiment, mice were placed on one of three diets for 12 weeks: a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with 15% adzuki beans. The study observed and tested for changes related to obesity, lipid accumulation, serum lipid and lipopolysaccharide levels, liver function, hepatic steatosis, glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and gut microbiota imbalances. Through a process called PICRUSt2 analysis, the researchers were then able to draw potential associations between changes in the gut microbiota and the metabolism of various substances.
In the discussion of the results, the supplementation of adzuki beans to a high-fat diet had a significant impact. Obesity and lipid accumulation were visibly reduced, as were negative impacts on liver function and unhealthy levels of serum lipids and lipopolysaccharides. Notably, glucose homeostasis was improved through an increase in insulin sensitivity. The imbalances in gut microbiota, typically seen in a high-fat diet, were significantly reversed through adzuki bean supplementation. High-fat diet dependent taxa returned to a more normal status, which in turn suggested associations with the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, sulfur, and two types of amino acids.
Discover Related Insights
Goji berry leaves have stronger anti-colitis effects than mulberry leaves, ameliorating tissue damage and better regulating inflammatory responses and gut microbiota.
2023 Food & Function Goji berry leaf exerts a comparable effect against colitis and microbiota dysbiosis to its fruit in dextran-sulfate-sodium-treated mice Yu C, Chen Y, Ahmadi S, Wu D, Wu J, Ding T, et al.
Experimental Study Anti-Colitis Anti-Inflammatory Colitis
The research entailed a comparative study conducted on goji berry and mulberry leaves versus their respective fruits. To determine their anti-colitis effects, the experiment was administered to C57BL/6N mice that had been induced with colitis through dextran-sulfate-sodium. Through the utilization of measures such as ELISA and western blotting analysis, researchers were able to observe how each leaf versus its corresponding fruit ameliorated colitic symptoms, tissue damage, and was able to influence the overproduction of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines.
The results showed that both the goji berry leaf and fruit significantly reduced symptoms of colitis and improved tissue damage while the mulberry leaf did not show similar improvements. The goji berry leaf exhibited the strongest performance in restraining the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and further repairing the damaged colonic barrier. It also effectively adjusted gut microbiota equilibrium by increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful ones. The berries and leaves similarly restored certain dietary fibers to alleviate inflammation, but the mulberry leaf did not achieve this for butyrate. This is the first report to provide a comprehensive contrast of anti-colitis effects between the leaves and fruits of goji and mulberry.
Changes in gut microbiome associated with a low-fat, vegan diet and cooked soybeans may reduce the frequency and severity of postmenopausal hot flashes.
2023 Complementary Therapies in Medicine A dietary intervention for postmenopausal hot flashes: A potential role of gut microbiome. An exploratory analysis Kahleova H, Holtz DN, Strom N, La Reau A, Kolipaka S, Schmidt N, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Gut Microbiota
In this study, 84 postmenopausal women experiencing two or more moderate-to-severe hot flashes daily were randomly assigned to a low-fat, vegan diet with daily cooked soybeans or allowed to maintain their usual diet. Over a 12-week period, the frequency and severity of hot flashes were tracked using a mobile application. In 11 women from the group, gut microbiome was analyzed at the start and after 12 weeks of the dietary intervention, using deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing.
The women who underwent gut microbiome testing experienced a substantial decrease in total hot flashes during the dietary intervention, and severe hot flashes disappeared entirely in this group. Alpha and beta diversity within the microbiome showed no significant difference in the intervention group between baseline and the end of the 12 weeks. Interestingly, adjustments in the relative abundance of certain bacterial strains, notably Porphyromonas and Prevotella corporis, were linked with the reduction in severe day hot flashes, while changes in the relative abundance of Clostridium asparagiforme were associated with a reduction in total severe hot flashes and severe night hot flashes.
Long-term intake of traditionally made Doenjang, particularly high in certain species, may improve symptoms of estrogen deficiency more effectively than unfermented soybeans.
2023 Foods Improvement of Estrogen Deficiency Symptoms by the Intake of Long-Term Fermented Soybeans (Doenjang) Rich in Bacillus Species through Modulating Gut Microbiota in Estrogen-Deficient Rats Zhang T, Yue Y, Jeong SJ, Ryu MS, Wu X, Yang HJ, et al.
Animal Study Bacillus Gut Microbiota
The study involved using four different types of traditionally made Doenjang (TMD), distinguished based on the quantities of certain species and biogenic amines they contained. These were used to observe possible alterations in energy, glucose, and lipid metabolism in estrogen-deficient female rats via potential modification of the gut microbiota. This involved comparing a control group of rats that underwent ovary removal with five other groups that were supplemented with different types of TMD and cooked soybeans.
The outcomes revealed that weight gain and visceral fat mass were lower and lean body mass was higher in the TMD and cooked soybean intake groups compared to the control group, however, these figures were not as good as those in the normal control group. Additionally, the hepatic triglyceride content was lower with TMD intake. It was further observed that the intestinal health significantly improved in the TMD groups, and some groups revealed more improvements than others. Concerning gut microbiota, certain groups showed an increase in certain types of organisms, suggesting a benefit from high amounts of the specific species in TMD. The study inferred that TMD rich in certain species correlates positively with the regulation of estrogen-related markers.
Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses of nut RCTs showed that almonds were the only nut that had a small but significant decrease in both mean body mass and fat mass, compared to control diets.
2021 Nutrients A Comprehensive Review of Almond Clinical Trials on Weight Measures, Metabolic Health Biomarkers and Outcomes, and the Gut Microbiota Dreher ML
Review Article Gut Microbiota
The biological mechanisms for almond weight control include enhanced displacement of other foods, decreased macronutrient bioavailability for a lower net metabolizable energy (ME), upregulation of acute signals for reduced hunger, and elevated satiety and increased resting energy expenditure.
Almonds can support colonic microbiota health by promoting microflora richness and diversity, increasing the ratio of symbiotic to pathogenic microflora, and concentrations of health-promoting colonic bioactives.
2021 Nutrients A Comprehensive Review of Almond Clinical Trials on Weight Measures, Metabolic Health Biomarkers and Outcomes, and the Gut Microbiota Dreher ML
Review Article Gut Microbiota
This narrative review of 64 RCTs and 14 meta-analyses and/or systematic reviews presents a more in-depth analysis of almond clinical trials and their effects on weight measures, metabolic health biomarkers and outcomes, and colonic microbiota health than typically described in systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses. Almonds have one of the largest portfolios of RCTs on weight measures, metabolic health, and colonic microbiota of any food. These RCTs consistently support an important role for almonds in reducing body and fat mass, other weight measures, and promoting metabolic health as a premier snack for precision nutrition diets
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