Resistant dextrin NUTRIOSE and gut bacteria in women
What it found
In 50 healthy women, taking a resistant dextrin daily for 6 weeks greatly increased the gut bacterium Parabacteroides distasonis.
The overall mix of gut bacteria stayed largely the same.
What they found
Studies in people
Overall gut bacteria
The resistant dextrin did not change the overall make-up of the gut bacteria. The number of different species and the broad community structure stayed similar in both groups.
Parabacteroides distasonis rise
In the women taking the resistant dextrin, the gut bacterium Parabacteroides distasonis increased greatly. On average it went from 0.92% to 7.2% of the gut bacteria, and it became the most dominant species. In the control group it stayed stable.
Responders and non-responders
Out of 24 women taking the resistant dextrin, P. distasonis increased in 18, slightly decreased in 3, and was absent in 3. The non-responders were similar to responders in diet, age, and starting levels of the bacterium.
Strain genes and response
Women whose P. distasonis carried genes for a starch-binding complex called SusCD had a larger increase in the bacterium. This suggests the response may depend on the bacterial strain a person carries.
Fiber-digesting enzymes
Three carbohydrate-digesting enzymes increased with the resistant dextrin, and all were carried by P. distasonis. Three other such enzymes decreased.
Short-chain fatty acids
The potential of the gut bacteria to make short-chain fatty acids did not change during the study.
What the authors conclude
“Supplementation with RD can be used to specifically increase P. distasonis in gut microbiota of healthy women.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that supplementation with resistant dextrin can be used to specifically increase P. distasonis in the gut bacteria of healthy women.
- They say the size of the response may be linked to the fiber-metabolizing abilities of the strains each person carries.
- They call for further research to confirm that P. distasonis directly causes the clinical effects seen in other studies.
How it was done
An imbalance in gut bacteria is linked to many long-term diseases, and changing the gut bacteria with fiber is seen as a promising approach. The authors wanted to confirm how the resistant dextrin NUTRIOSE affects the gut bacteria of healthy people.
Fifty healthy women were given either the resistant dextrin NUTRIOSE or a control maltodextrin every day for 6 weeks. Doses rose from 5 g to 20 g per day. Stool samples were collected before and after, and the DNA of the gut bacteria was analysed.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small pilot study in healthy women aged 18 to 50, so the results may not apply to other groups.
- The study measured bacterial DNA in stool, so it cannot show whether the changes in gut bacteria directly affect health.
- Only 3 women did not respond, which is too few to identify reliable markers of response.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Université Paris-Saclay, France
The paper
- Title
- Diet Supplementation with NUTRIOSE, a Resistant Dextrin, Increases the Abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis in the Human Gut
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Thirion F, Da Silva K, Plaza Oñate F, et al (2022). Diet Supplementation with NUTRIOSE, a Resistant Dextrin, Increases the Abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis in the Human Gut. Molecular nutrition & food research. doi:10.1002/mnfr.202101091Free full textPubMed 35312171DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error