Capsaicin combined with dietary fiber prevents high-fat diet associated aberrant lipid metabolism by improving the structure of intestinal flora

Abstract

Capsaicin (CAP) and dietary fibers are natural active ingredients that given separately do positively affect obesity and metabolic diseases. However, it was unknown whether their combined administration might further improve blood lipids and gut flora composition. To test this hypothesis we administered capsaicin plus dietary fibers (CAP + DFs) to male rats on a high-fat diet and analyzed any changes in the intestinal microbiota make up, metabolites, and blood indexes. Our results showed that combining CAP with dietary fibers more intensely reduced total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). CAP + DFs also increased gut bacteria variety, and the abundance of several beneficial bacterial strains, including Allobaculum and Akkermansia, while reducing harmful strains such as Desulfovibrio. Additionally, CAP + DFs significantly increased arginine levels and caused short-chain fatty acids accumulation in the contents of the cecal portion of rats' gut. In conclusion, notwithstanding the rats were kept on a high-fat diet, adding CAP + DFs to the chow further improved, as compared with CAP alone, the lipidemia and increased the gut beneficial bacterial strains, while reducing the harmful ones.