Preventive potential of chitosan self‐assembled coconut residue dietary fiber in hyperlipidemia: Mechanistic insights into gut microbiota and short‐chain fatty acids

Abstract Hyperlipidemia is a metabolic disorder resulted from unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits. Its pathogenesis is possibly linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis. This study investigates the preventive effects of chitosan self‐assembled coconut residue dietary fiber (CRFSC) on hyperlipidemia induced by a high‐fat diet (HFD) and gut microbiota. CRFSC resulted in a significant weight loss of 7.9% in HFD rats and had a preventive effect on all four lipid parameter abnormalities. HFD supplemented with oat group resulted in a weight loss of 3.8% in HFD rats and had no preventive effect on low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) abnormalities. Prevention was achieved not only through the modulation of gut microbiota composition and the increase of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels, but also through the activation of superoxide dismutase enzyme and the inhibition of malondialdehyde accumulation, all of which are the factors leading to the controlling of lipid abnormalities and oxidative damage. The prevention of lipid parameters by chitosan self‐assembled coconut residue dietary fiber (CRFSC) may be attributed to its richness in chitosan and insoluble dietary fiber, as well as its ability to enrich beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia , Roseburia , and Ruminococcus . Correlation analysis demonstrated that key bacterial species producing SCFAs, which are rich in the CRFSC diet, had a positive impact on controlling hyperlipidemia. Hence, consumption of a CRFSC diet could serve as an effective strategy for preventing and controlling the development of hyperlipidemia due to its potential ability to regulate gut microbiota and SCFAs. Practical Application This study showed that dietary fiber from coconut residue after chitosan self‐assembly had preventive effects on overweight, dyslipidemia, and oxidative damage in rats. In addition, CRFSC also increased the content of short‐chain fatty acids in the gut. And improve gut health by affecting gut microbiota. This finding suggests that CRFSC can be used as a dietary strategy to prevent hyperlipidemia and has practical significance in developing new healthy foods.