 | Eliot Haddad, Undergraduate 4th year, Human Biology Major |
| Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah Comstock, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department Faculty Mentor: Dr. Perry Ng, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department |
Abstract:
Diet is one of the principal determining factors of the human gut microbiome. However, there has been little agreement on the specific effects of whole grain wheat, a high fiber food, on the human gut microbiota. Herein, we aim to identify whether consumption of different varieties of whole wheat is associated with gut microbial diversity and markers of intestinal inflammation. To elucidate this, a sample of 28 adults consumed 100g of two different varieties of Michigan grown whole grain crackers: white whole grain and red whole grain. The study took place over a four-week period, each week representing a different time point (A, B, C, and D). In weeks B and D, participants consumed white and red wheat, respectively. In weeks A and C, participants consumed a generic wheat for a washout period. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to characterize the gut microbiome and lipocalin/calprotectin proteins were extracted from fecal samples collected at each timepoint. Gut microbial diversity was not significantly different across timepoints. However, Bifidobacterium levels were significantly lower in the intervention and washout weeks compared to the initial run-in period. There were no significant differences between levels of lipocalin and calprotectin across the four weeks. Overall, the results of this study show that consumption of whole grain wheat at the provided dose has little impact on gut microbial diversity and markers of gut inflammation. This implies that the health benefits of whole wheat consumption may be independent of gut microbial diversity.