Effect of Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum on serum lipid levels and colonic microbiota of dyslipidemia-induced rats

This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of kamut (Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum) on serum lipid levels and the colonic microbiota of dyslipidemia-induced rats. After the induction of dyslipidemia, 50 rats (n = 10) were fed an AIN-93G (CON) diet or one of four formulated diets containing either high fat (about 19.5% of fat) with cellulose, high fat without cellulose, high fat with kamut (HK), or high fat supplemented with lovastatin for 4 weeks. The triglyceride (TG) concentration was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the HK and CON groups, and the abundance of Lactobacillus strains and the ratio of Lactobacillus to enterobacteria were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the HK group than in the other groups. A heat map analysis confirmed that the HK group and the other groups belonged to distinct clusters. The number of Lactobacillus species, mainly L. reuteri and L. gasseri strains, was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the HK group, while the number of Clostridium and Escherichia strains was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the HK group relative to the other groups. Consumption of kamut may alleviate dyslipidemia by improving TG level and increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the colon of rats with high fat diet-induced dyslipidemia.