SATIN (Satiety Innovation)Project: Dietary Supplementation with Type 3 Resistant Starch Induces Distinct Changes in Gut Microbiota of Overweight Human Volunteers

The dramatic increase in obesity and associated diseases has focused interest on the influence of dietary ingredients in controlling satiety. Dietary resistant starch (RS), which undergoes colonic microbial fermentation, has been associated with increased levels of satiety. The work utilized 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize changes occurring in the intestinal microbiota following dietary supplementation with an RS type 3 (ActiStar® 11700, Cargill). RS consumption significantly altered the gut microbiota by enriching a distinct group of taxa, including the primary starch degrader Ruminococcus bromii, and the major butyrate producer Eubacterium rectale ; both increasing in over 84% of subjects (p<0.05). RS also caused an increase of Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in the majority of subjects, albeit not significantly . The enrichment of these two species has not been previously demonstrated in humans. In summary, we show that the incorporation of RS into the diet significantly changes the faecal microbiota by enriching a distinct group of bacteria involved with starch fermentation and/or butyrate production.