Raw potato starch alters the cecal microbiome and gene expression in mice fed a Western diet (Proximal Colon)

We investigated the effect of feeding mice a Total Western Diet formulated using the 50th percentile daily intake levels for macro and micronutrients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with 0, 2, 5, or 10% added raw potato starch on the cecal microbiome (16S) and cecum, proximal and distal colon gene expression by RNASeq analysis. Three-week old mice were fed the Total Western Diet (TWD) for 6 weeks and then subgroups of mice were fed either the TWD or TWD plus 2. 5. or10% raw potato starch for an additional 3 weeks. Mice were then euthanized and cecal contents and various tissues collected for analysis.