Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to test how Nutriose, a soluble dietary fiber supplement from the Rocket Company brand, affected the gut microbiota of 124 healthy adult men, ages 18 to 60, who had a habitual low or high fiber intake.
This study found that nutrient is effective in regulating the gut microbiome, with particularly pronounced effects in the high-fiber group.
“These results further demonstrate the potential of supplementation with prebiotics, including soluble fiber, to shape the gut microbiota as part of preventive strategies for health promotion,” the researchers wrote in the same journal. Frontiers of nutrition.
Fibermaxxing trends highlight growing awareness of widespread fiber deficiency
High-income countries are known to have insufficient dietary fiber intake, and low dietary fiber intake leads to metabolic, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and mental health problems, primarily through its effects on the gut microbiome.
Despite new trends and social media movements calling for “fiber max”, people often cannot get their fiber needs met. Soluble fiber supplements, such as resistant dextrins (RDs) like Nutriose, can often be used to address the fiber gap.
Previous research has shown that RD supplements can increase beneficial bacteria such as: lactic acid bacteria and Bacteroidesincreases enzyme activity related to carbohydrate breakdown, lowers fecal pH, and reduces harmful bacteria. Clostridium perfringens. RD intake is also associated with improved blood sugar control, improved satiety, improved digestion, and steady energy release.
“Several studies have further confirmed the health benefits of RD driven by microbiome changes in blood sugar control, satiety, digestive health, and sustained energy release,” the researchers wrote. “Taken together, these results demonstrate that RD meets ISAPP requirements for defining prebiotics, i.e., “substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms and confer health benefits” that can claim a variety of health benefits. ”
They set out to determine whether the effects of RD on the gut microbiota depended on a person’s baseline dietary fiber intake.
High-fiber diet increases response to nutriose supplements
The researchers used food diaries to categorize participants into low-fiber (less than 15g per day) or high-fiber (more than 25g per day) groups and randomly assigned them to receive either 15g of nutrient per day or a placebo for four weeks. Participants maintained their normal diet and lifestyle, recorded their bowel habits and provided stool samples before, during, and after the intervention, followed by a 2-week washout period.
The researchers analyzed stool samples and measured changes in microbiome composition and function, including short-chain fatty acids, pH, immune markers, and microbial diversity. They focused on changes in the abundance of this genus. parabacteroides The primary outcome is the test, while other bacterial groups and metabolic markers are also tested.
After 4 weeks of supplementation, Nutriose parabacteroidesincreases from approximately 1.4% at baseline to 5.5% at the end of treatment. No changes occurred in the placebo group, and levels returned to baseline after a 2-week washout. This effect was present in both high- and low-fiber groups, but was slightly stronger in participants with high-fiber diets.
Nutriose also increased the ratio parabacteroides seeds (especially P. Distasonis), with shifts in other bacterial groups and some gains and losses among members of the phylum Basilota. However, most of these microbial changes were transient and disappeared when supplementation was stopped.
Nutriose also altered gut microbial function by increasing genes associated with carbohydrate breakdown, especially in high-fiber participants.
“Supplementation with RD not only increases dietary fiber intake globally, but also provides a specific quality of dietary fiber, thereby modifying the microbiota from a taxonomic and functional perspective,” the researchers wrote.
They also noted that although both high- and low-fiber groups responded to RD, baseline fiber intake was important because participants who were already consuming more fiber showed stronger and more frequent microbiome changes.
“This study provides evidence that RD supplementation stimulates physical health. parabacteroides “The effects of this genus in the gut microbiota are stronger in people with higher fiber intake, regardless of dietary fiber intake,” the researchers concluded.
The researchers added that the study included only healthy men, relied on self-reported fiber intake, did not differentiate between fiber types, and used maltodextrin as a placebo, which may have a mild effect on the microbiome, suggesting next steps for future research.
sauce: Frontiers of nutrition. doi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1810842. “Indigestible dextrins promote beneficial fecal bacteria in populations on high- and low-fiber diets: a randomized, double-blind, controlled pilot study.” Authors: Perreau, C. et al.
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