Dietary soybean protein ameliorates high-fat diet-induced obesity by modifying the gut microbiota-dependent biotransformation of bile acids

PLoS One. 2018 Aug 13;13(8):e0202083. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202083. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The consumption of soybean protein has well-known favorable metabolic effects (e.g., reduced body weight, body fat, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and lipogenesis). These effects of soy protein have been linked to modulation by the gut microbiota; however, the dynamic interplay among these factors remains unclear. Accordingly, we examined the metabolic phenotype, intestinal BA pool, and the gut microbiome of male C57BL/6 mice that were randomized to receive either a regular high-fat diet (HFD) or HFD that contained soybean protein isolate (SPI) in place of dairy protein. The intake of SPI significantly reduced the HFD-induced weight gain and adipose tissue mass accumulation and attenuated hepatic steatosis. Along with an enhancement in the secretion of intestinal Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an enlarged cecal BA pool with an elevated secondary/primary BA ratio was observed in the mice that consumed SPI, while fecal BA excretion remained unaltered. SPI also elicited dramatic changes in the gut microbiome, characterized by an expansion of taxa that may be involved in the biotransformation of BAs. The observed effects were abolished in germ-free (GF) mice, indicating that they were dependent on the microbiota. These findings collectively indicate that the metabolic benefits of SPI under the HFD regime may arise from a microbiota-driven increase in BA transformation and increase in GLP-1 secretion.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bile Acids and Salts / metabolism*
  • Biodiversity
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome / drug effects*
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 / metabolism
  • Intestinal Mucosa / drug effects
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism
  • Intestinal Mucosa / microbiology
  • Male
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways / drug effects*
  • Metagenome
  • Metagenomics / methods
  • Mice
  • Obesity / etiology*
  • Obesity / metabolism*
  • Soybean Proteins / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Bile Acids and Salts
  • Soybean Proteins
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide 1

Grants and funding

This work was partly supported by research grants from the AMED (JP17gm1010007) and JST A-STEP (AS2815103U) to IK. In addition, this research was supported by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for T. Saito, T. Sato and NT, and supplied soybean protein, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the "author contributions" section.