A short-term, randomized, controlled, feasibility study of the effects of different vegetables on gut microbiota and microRNA expression in infants

The complementary diet influences gastrointestinal (gut) microbiota composition and in turn, host health and potentially microRNA (miRNA) expression. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of altering gut microbial communities with short term food introduction and to determine the effects of different vegetables on the infant gut microbiota and miRNA expression. Eleven infants, randomized to control, broccoli, or carrot, consumed a puree (broccoli or carrot) on days 1-3 along with human milk or infant formula; the control group continued their milk diet only. Genomic DNA and total RNA were extracted from fecal samples to measure microbiota composition and miRNA expression.

互补性辅食可影响胃肠道（gut）菌群组成，进而调控宿主健康状态，并可能改变微小RNA（miRNA）的表达水平。本研究旨在评估短期引入食物以重塑肠道菌群群落的可行性，并明确不同蔬菜对婴儿肠道菌群及微小RNA表达的影响。本研究招募11名婴儿，按随机分组原则分为对照组、西兰花干预组与胡萝卜干预组；在第1至3天，干预组婴儿食用对应蔬菜泥（西兰花泥或胡萝卜泥），并辅以母乳或婴儿配方奶粉喂养，对照组仅维持原乳类饮食方案。研究人员从粪便样本中提取基因组DNA与总RNA，用以检测菌群组成及微小RNA的表达情况。