Anthocyanins Mets mice gut microbiota

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is characterized as a cluster of risk factors including abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance. MetS has become one of the leading causes of death worldwide and affected nearly one-fifth of the adults. The implication of gut microbiota in the regulation of host metabolic balance has been investigated over the past decade, studies both in animal models and humans have revealed the importance of gut microbiota on the host metabolism. Actually, evidence shows that the abundance and structure of gut microbiota are closely related to the change of MetS phenotype. In light of the widespread prevalence and deleterious impact of MetS on human health, the quest for efficacious treatments has emerged as an exigent and pressing imperative. Blueberry and Blackberry are perennial berries belonging to the Ericaceae and Rosaceae family respectively, they are both rich in anthocyanins, which are the main active substances for their beneficial functions. Here we hypothesize that anthocyanins improve MetS by restoring gut microbiota, the present study was to investigate the effects of blueberry and blackberry anthocyanins on the gut microbiota, as well as to analyze the associations between the structural alterations of gut microbiota and fecal metabolites, further to explore the potential ability of anthocyanins to alleviate insulin resistance, inflammation and obesity.