Coacervate whey protein and galactooligosaccharide ameliorate colonic inflammation and alter membrane lipid profile and gut microbiota composition in mice fed a high fat diet

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of chitosan-whey protein complex coacervation (Coa), galactooligosaccharide (GOS), and their combination (COAG) in mitigating obesity-induced alterations caused by a high-fat (HF) diet. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed for 16 weeks with the: N - 2 normolipid diet, HF - high-fat diet, and HF treatments. The gut microbiota composition of mice treated with HFCOAG more closely resembled the N group, displaying a greater dissimilarity to health-associated bacteria, such as Lachnospiraceae, Porphyromonas, and the putative order RF39. The HFCOAG diet led to increased vaccenic acid and myristoleic acid levels in the SM fraction, and these changes correlated with enhanced antiinflammatory activity compared to the other groups. In conclusion, supplementation with whey protein products alters the intestinal microbiota
profile and modifies the metabolic response to the HF diet. These findings suggest that the COAG treatment may have a preventive effect on obesity-induced alterations associated with high-fat diets.