1. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Nov;90(5):1236-43. Epub 2009 Sep 23.

Gut microbiota fermentation of prebiotics increases satietogenic and incretin gut
peptide production with consequences for appetite sensation and glucose response 
after a meal.

Cani PD, Lecourt E, Dewulf EM, Sohet FM, Pachikian BD, Naslain D, De Backer F,
Neyrinck AM, Delzenne NM.

Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group,
Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. patrice.cani@uclouvain.be

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that gut microbial fermentation of
prebiotics promotes satiety and lowers hunger and energy intake in humans. In
rodents, these effects are associated with an increase in plasma gut peptide
concentrations, which are involved in appetite regulation and glucose
homeostasis. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine the effects of prebiotic
supplementation on satiety and related hormones during a test meal for human
volunteers by using a noninvasive micromethod for blood sampling to measure
plasma gut peptide concentrations. DESIGN: This study was a randomized,
double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 10 healthy adults (5
men and 5 women) were randomly assigned to groups that received either 16 g
prebiotics/d or 16 g dextrin maltose/d for 2 wk. Meal tolerance tests were
performed in the morning to measure the following: hydrogen breath test, satiety,
glucose homeostasis, and related hormone response. RESULTS: We show that the
prebiotic treatment increased breath-hydrogen excretion (a marker of gut
microbiota fermentation) by approximately 3-fold and lowered hunger rates.
Prebiotics increased plasma glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide YY
concentrations, whereas postprandial plasma glucose responses decreased after the
standardized meal. The areas under the curve for plasma glucagon-like peptide 1
and breath-hydrogen excretion measured after the meal (0-60 min) were
significantly correlated (r = 0.85, P = 0.007). The glucose response was
inversely correlated with the breath-hydrogen excretion areas under the curve
(0-180 min; r = -0.73, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Prebiotic supplementation was
associated with an increase in plasma gut peptide concentrations (glucagon-like
peptide 1 and peptide YY), which may contribute in part to changes in appetite
sensation and glucose excursion responses after a meal in healthy subjects.

PMID: 19776140 [PubMed - in process]