L-arabinose, also known as traxanose and pectin, is often combined with other monosaccharides and is widely found in plants. The new findings suggest that L-arabinose has the function of significantly altering the structure of the gut microbiota, increasing the content of bifidobacteria and short-chain fatty acids both in vivo and in vitro. Subsequent in vitro experiments confirmed that L-arabinose increased the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, promoted linoleic acid metabolism, and enhanced downstream metabolites (12,13-dhome, 9,10-dhome), which are extremely important for gut health.
The short-chain fatty acids here are products of microbial fermentation and play a key role in immune regulation and glycolipid metabolism, helping to reduce body fat accumulation, lower cholesterol, and prevent atherosclerosis.
Whereas, 12,13-dhome is thought to be an important lipid mediator involved in various physiological processes, including inflammation, immune response, and metabolic health. Appropriate levels of 9,10-dhome and help improve intestinal inflammation.
The absorption rate of L-arabinose in the body is very low, because most of the ingested L-arabinose is fermented and utilized by intestinal bacteria. These microorganisms metabolize large amounts of hard-to-digest nutrients, produce short-chain fatty acids and other bioactive compounds, and facilitate digestive processes that are beneficial to the host.
We know that nutrients in the diet can directly interact with gut microbes to promote or inhibit the growth of some microbes. And some gut microbiota have a competitive advantage in extracting energy from specific food components, thus affecting the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Therefore, the regulatory effect of L-arabinose on the intestinal microbiota becomes extremely important. Several studies have shown that L-arabinose has a significant regulatory effect on specific gut microbes. For example, L-arabinose inhibited the growth of intrinsic phylum bacteria that promote inflammation, and it was also found that L-arabinose restored the relative abundance of sterol bacteria and lactic acid bacteria in fecal samples from high-fat diet mice, and promoted the growth of lactic acid bacteria.
So, which foods are rich in L-arabinose?
It mainly includes corn husks, wheat bran, pressed beets and apples, and I hope everyone will consume more of this anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory sugar.
Reference: Xiang, S, ge, y., zhang, y., bao, x., su, x., shi, l., xia, y., han, h., ying, j., lai, s., chen, j., zhu, x. (2024). l-arabinose exerts probiotic functions by improving gut microbiota and metabolism in vivo and in vitro. journal of functional foods, 113, 106047. doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2024.106047