Evaluation of the effect of dietary soluble corn fiber on metabolic activity and colonic microbiota composition in patients with dysbiosis and obesity

The gut microbiome is critically important for human health. Intestinal bacteria are involved in nutrient metabolism, immune modulation, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, and protecting against pathogenic bacteria. Soluble corn fiber (SCF) has been shown to possess prebiotic properties, improve intestinal peristalsis, affect blood glucose and insulin levels, improve calcium absorption and reabsorption in bone tissue. <b>The aim</b> of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating soluble corn fiber into a low-calorie diet (LCD) in obese patients with dysbiosis, and its effect on the metabolic activity and composition of the colonic microbiota. <b>Material and methods</b>. 48 patients with reduced amounts of Bifidobacterium and/ or Lactobacillus in their stool, who were included in the study, were divided into 2 groups - the main group and the control group. They followed LCD for 28 days. Patients in the main group, in addition to the LCD, received soluble corn fiber (1.8%) at the dose 7 g 3 times daily (dissolved in 200 ml of liquid). Drug therapy was administered according to standard regimens for therapeutic diseases and was not adjusted during the study. The groups were compared using clinical and functional methods (assessment of actual nutrition, determination of body composition, a stool change assessment scale, a scale for assessing the organoleptic properties of dishes), and laboratory methods (biochemical blood serum analysis, microbiological stool diagnostics by cultural method). <b>Results</b>. After the course of diet therapy, all patients showed a statistically significant decrease in body weight, but in patients of the main group it occurred due to skeletal muscles and lean mass decrease (p<0.005), while against the background of the SCF intake, a statistically significant decrease in body fat mass (p=0.015) was noted with a tendency to decrease skeletal muscle mass and lean mass (p<0.10). After the course of diet therapy, the number of Bifidobacterium in the feces of patients in the main group statistically significantly increased from 8.75±0.61 to 9.04±0.20 lg CFU/g (p=0.035), while in patients from the control group, on the contrary, the number of these bacteria was significantly lower upon repeated examination (7.96±1.12 versus 8.46±0.78 lg CFU/g, p=0.046). The inclusion of SCF in the LCD was accompanied by a significant decrease in the number of individuals with reduced levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, a positive effect on the populations of commensal and transient (opportunistic) representatives of the microbiota and an improvement in stool characteristics. Upon repeated examination, patients in both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in the levels of total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. <b>Conclusion</b>. Therefore, SCF can be used in dietary therapeutic and preventive nutrition as a source of soluble dietary fiber. It can be used as part of a diet for direct consumption after pre-dissolving in water, juice, or fermented milk drinks, and can be used as an ingredient in the production of foods enriched with soluble dietary fiber.