Diet-induced changes to metabolic health

Abstract

The accumulation of excess body fat, particularly visceral adipose, is linked to metabolic and endocrine disturbances which contribute to a systemic, low-grade, inflammatory state and abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism. These metabolic states are primary drivers of non- communicable, chronic diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are amongst the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diet contributes to visceral adiposity and subsequent metabolic dysregulations. As such, healthy dietary changes are a key strategy to prevent and reduce the burden of obesity- associated disease. Assessing changes to metabolism in response to diet is critical to the formation of dietary recommendations to address the obesity epidemic. However, physiological responses to diet are variable and depend on many factors, thereby complicating metabolic health assessment. The inclusion of inflammatory, gut microbial, and metabolomic measures in addition to postprandial measurements of traditional metabolic markers help establish a more accurate picture of metabolic health and response to diet. Changes to postprandial metrics of lipid and glucose metabolism and inflammation in response to chronic lentil consumption were examined in a metabolically at-risk population. The potential of acute lentil intake to favorably alter the postprandial bile acid response as well as postprandial lipid, glucose, and inflammation responses was tested in a crossover trial of overweight and obese individuals. In addition, the impact of polyphenol-rich aronia juice on gut microbial taxonomy and postprandial lipidemic, glycemic, and inflammatory responses was investigated. Chronic lentil consumption improved fasting cholesterol levels as well as postprandial glucose and inflammatory responses. While acute lentil intake did not modify the magnitude of postprandial glucose, lipid, or inflammatory responses, differential relationships between bile acids and postprandial metabolism were identified. Aronia juice supplementation attenuated fasting cholesterol levels, lowered postprandial glucose responses, and altered gut microbial diversity. This body of work demonstrates the contributions of postprandial metabolism, inflammation, and gut microbial taxonomy to metabolic response to dietary interventions and highlights their utility in the accurate assessment of metabolic health.