A Newly Developed Synbiotic Yogurt Prevents Diabetes by Improving the Microbiome–Intestine–Pancreas Axis

Abstract

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is increasing worldwide, and there are no long-term preventive strategies to stop this growth. Emerging research shows that perturbations in the gut microbiome significantly contribute to the development of T2D, while microbiome modulators may be beneficial for T2D prevention. However, microbiome modulators that are effective, safe, affordable, and able to be administered daily are not yet available. Based on our previous pro- and prebiotic studies, we developed a novel synbiotic yogurt comprised of human-origin probiotics and plant-based prebiotics and investigated its impact on diet- and streptozotocin-induced T2D in mice. We compared the effects of our synbiotic yogurt to those of a commercially available yogurt (control yogurt). Interestingly, we found that the feeding of the synbiotic yogurt significantly reduced the development of hyperglycemia (diabetes) in response to high-fat diet feeding and streptozotocin compared to milk-fed controls. Surprisingly, the control yogurt exacerbated diabetes progression. Synbiotic yogurt beneficially modulated the gut microbiota composition compared to milk, while the control yogurt negatively modulated it by significantly increasing the abundance of detrimental bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, the synbiotic yogurt protected pancreatic islet morphology compared to the milk control, while the control yogurt demonstrated worse effects on islets. These results suggest that our newly developed synbiotic yogurt protects against diabetes in mice and can be used as a therapeutic to prevent diabetes progression.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Feb 06, 2021
Source ID
10.3390/ijms22041647

Entities

People

  • Brandi Miller
  • Hariom L. Yadav
  • Rabina Mainali
  • Ravinder Nagpal

Organizations

  • National Institutes of Health
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.