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Abstract

Whole grain consumption has known beneficial effects for health. However, the interplay of whole grain consumption, the human gut microbiota, and metabolic health needs to be further unraveled. This paper aims to describe the interplay of whole grain consumption and gut microbiota for metabolic health. It is a narrative literature review. The journals were selected from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. It was found that whole grain consumption could modulate the production of short-chain fatty acids. Whole grains contain phenolic acid, flavonoids, and plant sterols. The composition, diversity, structure, and metabolites of gut microbiota might be changed by whole grain consumption. Whole grain consumption might improve glucose metabolism, enhance immune function, and reduce inflammation. Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance might be reduced. Intestinal inflammation could be alleviated. In conclusion, whole grain consumption can improve gut health, better blood glucose control, and potentially reduced inflammation.

Keywords

gut microbiota metabolic disease whole grain

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References

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