Polymerization of dietary fructans differentially affects interactions among intestinal microbiota of colitis mice.

ABSTRACT: The intestinal microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining human health and can be modulated by dietary interventions and lifestyle choices. Fructans, a dietary carbohydrate, are selectively utilized by the intestinal microbiota to confer health benefits. However, the specific effects of different fructan types on microbial changes and functions remain incompletely understood. Here, we investigated how the intestinal microbiota responds to fructans with varying degrees of polymerization in the context of gut dysbiosis. Both low molecular weight fructo-oligosaccharides and high molecular weight levan suppressed intestinal inflammation in a colitis mouse model, mitigating intestinal fibrosis and dysbiosis. Although both the effects of fructo-oligosaccharides and levan are microbiota-depe

SUBMITTER: Xiao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11742283 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature