Review of the relationships among polysaccharides, gut microbiota, and human health

Abstract

As a complex ecosystem of the human body, the intestinal flora maintains a dynamic balance with the host and plays an irreplaceable role in life activities such as nutritional metabolism and host immunity. The intestinal flora interacts with polysaccharides, the intestinal flora digests non-digestible polysaccharides, and polysaccharides can be used as an important energy source for intestinal microorganisms. Disturbance of the gut microbiota (GM) leads to the occurrence of diseases, polysaccharides as prebiotics can improve the disease by regulating the composition of GM. In this paper, we reviewed the current knowledge about the relationship between polysaccharides, gut microbiota, and and human health, described the microbial composition of the human, the relationship between intestinal flora disorders and disease occurrence, and summarized the interactions between polysaccharides and intestinal microorganisms.

Keywords: Diseases; Gut microbiota; Polysaccharide; Short-chain fatty acids.