Green banana flour supplementation improves obesity-associated systemic inflammation and regulates gut microbiota profile in high-fat diet-fed mice

This study evaluated the effect of green banana flour (GBF) consumption on obesity-related conditions in mice fed high-fat diets. GBF was prepared using stage 1 green banana pulp, which was dehydrated and milled. Mice were fed a control diet (n=20; 10% of energy from lipids) or a high-fat diet (n=20; 50% of energy from lipids). After 10 weeks, mice were divided into four groups based on feed: standard chow (n=10, "SC"), standard with 15% GBF (n=10, "SB"), high-fat diet (n=10, "HF") and high-fat diet with 15% GBF (n=10, "HFB") for 4 weeks. HFB exhibited lower gains in body weight (-21%; p<0.01) and in all fat pads (p<0.01) compared with the HF group. SC, SB, and HFB showed smaller retroperitoneal white adipose tissue diameters (p<0.001). SB and HFB-treated mice showed lower levels of leptin, IL-6, and TNF-α compared with the SC and HF groups (p<0.01). In the GBF-fed groups, there was a reduction in the abundance of Firmicutes (SB: -22%; HFB: -23%) and an increase in Bacteroidetes (SB: +25%; HFB: +29%) compared to their counterparts. We demonstrated that GBF consumption attenuated inflammation and improved metabolic status, adipose tissue remodeling, and the gut microbiota profile of obese mice. Novelty • Green banana flour (GBF) consumption, rich in resistant starch, regulates body weight in mice fed high-fat diets • GBF consumption improves fat pad distribution in mice fed high-fat diets • GBF improves obesity-associated systemic inflammation and regulates gut microbiota profile in mice fed high-fat diets.