Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis
Abstract Despite the widespread adoption of gluten-free diets for weight management, the relationship between gluten intake and obesity remains unclear because of the limited number of controlled studies available in the literature. Furthermore, there is ongoing debate regarding the impact of gluten...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| author | Merve Sayın Dülger Nihal Zekiye Erdem Emek Dümen |
| author_facet | Merve Sayın Dülger Nihal Zekiye Erdem Emek Dümen |
| author_sort | Merve Sayın Dülger |
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| description | Abstract Despite the widespread adoption of gluten-free diets for weight management, the relationship between gluten intake and obesity remains unclear because of the limited number of controlled studies available in the literature. Furthermore, there is ongoing debate regarding the impact of gluten-containing diets on the gut microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the effects of gluten consumption on the body weight and intestinal microbiota of mice fed a high-fat diet. Twenty-four Bagg albino laboratory-bred mice (BALB/c) were randomly divided into four groups for oral gavage feeding: standard diet control (SDC), standard diet + 5 mg/day gluten (SD + gluten), high-fat diet control (HFDC), and high-fat diet + 5 mg/day gluten (HFD + gluten). Each subject’s body weight was measured and recorded weekly. For microbiota analysis, fecal samples were collected weekly from the cages after overnight cage changes. The microbiota was analyzed using via the 16 S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) method. Compared with the control diet, both gluten consumption and a high fat diet significantly increased weight gain (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the total mesophilic aerobic bacterial count among the groups (p > 0.05). However, the addition of gluten to the diet positively affected Lactobacillus bulgaricus (p < 0.05). Conversely, gluten-containing diets negatively impacted the total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli counts in the gut (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that gluten, when combined with either a normal diet or a high-fat diet, contributes to weight gain while exerting positive effects on the intestinal microbiota. |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-6f31f9d5139e46fa9dab9efb80d50e2b2025-08-20T01:57:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-011511810.1038/s41598-025-92213-3Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysisMerve Sayın Dülger0Nihal Zekiye Erdem1Emek Dümen2Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetic, Istanbul Medipol UniversityCollege of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetic, Istanbul Medipol UniversitySchool of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene& Technology, Istanbul University CerrahpaşaAbstract Despite the widespread adoption of gluten-free diets for weight management, the relationship between gluten intake and obesity remains unclear because of the limited number of controlled studies available in the literature. Furthermore, there is ongoing debate regarding the impact of gluten-containing diets on the gut microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the effects of gluten consumption on the body weight and intestinal microbiota of mice fed a high-fat diet. Twenty-four Bagg albino laboratory-bred mice (BALB/c) were randomly divided into four groups for oral gavage feeding: standard diet control (SDC), standard diet + 5 mg/day gluten (SD + gluten), high-fat diet control (HFDC), and high-fat diet + 5 mg/day gluten (HFD + gluten). Each subject’s body weight was measured and recorded weekly. For microbiota analysis, fecal samples were collected weekly from the cages after overnight cage changes. The microbiota was analyzed using via the 16 S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) method. Compared with the control diet, both gluten consumption and a high fat diet significantly increased weight gain (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the total mesophilic aerobic bacterial count among the groups (p > 0.05). However, the addition of gluten to the diet positively affected Lactobacillus bulgaricus (p < 0.05). Conversely, gluten-containing diets negatively impacted the total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli counts in the gut (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that gluten, when combined with either a normal diet or a high-fat diet, contributes to weight gain while exerting positive effects on the intestinal microbiota.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92213-3NutritionGlutenMicrobiotaBody weightHigh-fat diet |
| spellingShingle | Merve Sayın Dülger Nihal Zekiye Erdem Emek Dümen Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis Scientific Reports Nutrition Gluten Microbiota Body weight High-fat diet |
| title | Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis |
| title_full | Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis |
| title_fullStr | Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis |
| title_short | Effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in BALB-C mice using 16 S rRNA-Based analysis |
| title_sort | effects of dietary gluten on body weight and gut microbiota in balb c mice using 16 s rrna based analysis |
| topic | Nutrition Gluten Microbiota Body weight High-fat diet |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92213-3 |
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