Sodium alginate, body fat and gut bacteria in rats over 90 days
What it found
Sodium alginate lowered body fat and changed gut bacteria in male and female rats over 90 days.
The effects depended on the thickness of the fiber and the sex of the rat.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Body fat in rats
Rats given thicker sodium alginate or a larger amount of thinner sodium alginate had less body fat after 90 days.
Blood fats in rats
Three different treatments lowered triglycerides in the blood. They also raised total bile acids in the blood of the rats.
Gut chemicals in rats
The fiber raised levels of acetic acid and butyric acid in rat droppings. It also changed the types of bile acids leaving the body.
Gut bacteria in rats
A larger amount of thinner sodium alginate boosted two types of gut bacteria in rats. All three treatments reduced another type called Flavonifractor.
Sex differences in rats
Some links between gut bacteria and bile acids appeared only in male rats. Other links appeared only in female rats.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that sodium alginate changes how the body handles fats by altering gut bacteria.
- Their results show these changes depend on the thickness of the fiber and the sex of the animal.
- They advise that future nutrition plans using this fiber should account for these differences.
How it was done
Sodium alginate is a dietary fiber known to affect how the body handles fats and gut bacteria. Scientists wanted to see if different thicknesses and amounts worked differently in males and females over a longer time.
They fed sodium alginate to 120 male and female rats for 90 days. The rats received different thicknesses and amounts of the fiber. Researchers then measured body fat, blood fats and gut bacteria.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are rat studies, so they cannot show what happens in people eating sodium alginate.
- The doses given to the rats were very large compared to what a person would eat from food packets.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by The Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province; The Scientific Project of the Chinese Nutrition Society (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Sichuan University, China; General Hospital of Western Theater Command, China; Food Safety Monitoring and Risk Assessment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, China
The paper
- Title
- The sex-specific effects of sodium alginate with varying viscosities on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in rats
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Chen Z, Ni M, Wang X, et al (2025). The sex-specific effects of sodium alginate with varying viscosities on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in rats. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.70018PubMed 40600413DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error