Cited by 1,632Gut microbiota and healthProbiotics and Fermented FoodsMicrobial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology

Dominant and diet-responsive groups of bacteria within the human colonic microbiota

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Walker, Alan W, Ince, Jennifer, Duncan, Sylvia H, Webster, Lucy M, Holtrop, Grietje, Ze, Xiaolei, Brown, David, Stares, Mark D +8 more·2011·The ISME Journal

Abstract

The populations of dominant species within the human colonic microbiota can potentially be modified by dietary intake with consequences for health. Here we examined the influence of precisely controlled diets in 14 overweight men. Volunteers were provided successively with a control diet, diets high in resistant starch (RS) or non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) and a reduced carbohydrate weight loss (WL) diet, over 10 weeks. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences in stool samples of six volunteers detected 320 phylotypes (defined at >98% identity) of which 26, including 19 cultured species, each accounted for >1% of sequences. Although samples clustered more strongly by individual than by diet, time courses obtained by targeted qPCR revealed that ‘blooms’ in specific bacterial groups occurred rapidly after a dietary change. These were rapidly reversed by the subsequent diet. Relatives of Ruminococcus bromii (R-ruminococci) increased in most volunteers on the RS diet, accounting for a mean of 17% of total bacteria compared with 3.8% on the NSP diet, whereas the uncultured Oscillibacter group increased on the RS and WL diets. Relatives of Eubacterium rectale increased on RS (to mean 10.1%) but decreased, along with Collinsella aerofaciens, on WL. Inter-individual variation was marked, however, with >60% of RS remaining unfermented in two volunteers on the RS diet, compared to <4% in the other 12 volunteers; these two individuals also showed low numbers of R-ruminococci (<1%). Dietary non-digestible carbohydrate can produce marked changes in the gut microbiota, but these depend on the initial composition of an individual's gut microbiota.

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Crossref · 10.1038/ismej.2010.118

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  • Individuals on a resistant starch diet show an increase in relative abundance of uncultured Oscillibacter and Eubacterium rectale.

    “Furthermore, individuals on a resistant starch diet showed an increase in relative abundance of uncultured Oscillibacter and Eubacterium rectale (Walker et al., 2011).”

    From The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis (2019) · cites this paper as Walker et al., 2011

  • Human dietary fiber interventions have altered the microbiota and improved health markers.

    “Dietary interventions that specifically alter dietary fiber, such as increases in total carbohydrates, whole grains, and resistant starch versus wheat bran consumption, have shown impacts on the microbiota along with improvements in health markers of the study participants (Duncan et al., 2007; Martínez et al., 2013; Walker et al., 2011).”

    From Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status (2021) · cites this paper as Walker et al., 2011

  • Some dietary intervention studies associated weight loss with reduced abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria.

    “Some dietary intervention studies, paradoxically, associated weight loss with reduced abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria.84, 90–93”
  • Several studies of different diets associated weight loss with enrichment of Akkermansia muciniphila.

    “Several studies of different diets associated weight loss with enrichment of A muciniphila.86, 93, 98, 99”
  • Mouse models have indicated that manipulation of macronutrient intake can consistently shift the composition of the gut microbiota within the span of a day.

    “Likewise, mouse models have indicated that manipulation of macronutrient intake can consistently shift the composition of the gut microbiota within the span of a day [5,6,18,19].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Food Standards Agency McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods 2002 Royal Society of Chemistry Cambridge Sixth summary edition

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Authors
Walker, A. W., Ince, J., Duncan, S. H., Webster, L. M., Holtrop, G., Ze, X., Brown, D., Stares, M. D., Scott, P., Bergerat, A., Louis, P., McIntosh, F., Johnstone, A. M., Lobley, G. E., Parkhill, J., & Flint, H. J.
Affiliations
  • Wellcome Sanger Institute (GB)
  • University of Aberdeen (GB)
  • Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (GB)
Corresponding author
Flint, Harry J
Venue
The ISME Journal
Published
2010-08-05
Volume
5
Issue
2
Pages
220-230
ISSN
  • 1751-7362 (ISSN-L)
  • 1751-7370
OpenAlex
W2033239478
Cited by
1,632
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 93 · 2023: 92 · 2022: 155 · 2021: 135 · 2020: 163 · 2019: 122 · 2018: 124 · 2017: 139 · 2016: 118 · 2015: 101 · 2014: 93 · 2013: 85 · 2012: 66
FWCI
25.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The ISME Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (WT 76964, 076964)
  • Scottish Government
  • University of Aberdeen
  • World Cancer Research Fund
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology
Keywords
resistant starch, non-starch polysaccharides, Ruminococcus bromii, Oscillibacter, Eubacterium rectale, Collinsella aerofaciens, interindividual variability, non-digestible carbohydrates, gut microbiota composition, overweight men
MeSH terms
Archaea, Bacteria, Colon, Diet, Diet, Reducing, Dietary Carbohydrates, Dietary Proteins, Feces, Humans, Male, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Starch, Cross-Over Studies, Biodiversity, Metagenome

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