The human intestine is composed of trillions of bacteria which have co-evolved with their host so as to attain a harmonious relationship (symbiosis) that is strongly controlled. A disruption in this harmony, especially during a change in flora composition, is associated with the development of certain pathologies such as IBD and metabolic diseases. An increase in consumption of fatty foods and a decrease in fibers is suspected of being implicated in the development of these diseases.

A study demonstrated that identical mice (having the same genetic background) and given the same diet rich in fats develop diabetes I in only 60% of cases. Genetics and diet are thus not in themselves responsible for this percentage of observed cases, since 40% of mice do not develop diabetes. That same team investigated the gut flora composition of the two groups of animals and demonstrated differences that could explain this variability. Moreover, treatment of these animals with a prebiotic (the gluco-oligosaccharide, GOS) led to improvement in the metabolic parameters of diabetic mice, parallel to a modification in their gut flora.

These works once again demonstrate the influence of the intestinal flora upon health, and open up new perspectives for use of prebiotics in metabolic diseases.

References :

1. Burcelin R, Crivelli V, Dacosta A, Roy-Tirelli A and Thorens B. Heterogeneous metabolic adaptation of C57BL/6J mice to high-fat diet. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2002;282:E834-42

2. Serino M, Luche E, Gres S, et al. Metabolic adaptation to a high-fat diet is associated with a change in the gut microbiota. Gut 2011