Inulin accelerates weight loss in obese mice by regulating gut microbiota

Several studies indicated that the gut microbiome might participate in thebeneficial effect of inulin on obesity. However, the mechanisms involved werestill largely unknown. In the present study, inulin supplementation reversedthe changes in the richness, composition, and diversity ofgut microbiota induced by HFD. The abundance of thegenus Alistipes and the level of indole-3-acrylic acid wereconsiderably increased in response to inulin supplementation.Both Alistipes and indole-3-acrylic acid were involved intryptophan metabolism, meanwhile, they were also positivelyrelated to inulin supplementation and negatively relatedto obesity. These findings suggest that inulin acceleratesweight loss in obese mice, possibly due partly to increasedlevels of Alistipes and indole-3-acrylic acid. However, theinterrelationship between Alistipes and indole-3-acrylic acid stillneed further experiments to prove.