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The Impact of Low-Level Iron Supplements on the Faecal Microbiota of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Healthy Donors Using In Vitro Batch Cultures.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Poveda, Carlos 
Pereira, Dora IA 
Lewis, Marie 
Walton, Gemma E 

Abstract

Ferrous iron supplementation has been reported to adversely alter the gut microbiota in infants. To date, the impact of iron on the adult microbiota is limited, particularly at low supplementary concentrations. The aim of this research was to explore the impact of low-level iron supplementation on the gut microbiota of healthy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) volunteers. Anaerobic, pH-controlled in vitro batch cultures were inoculated with faeces from healthy or IBS donors along with iron (ferrous sulphate, nanoparticulate iron and pea ferritin (50 μmol-1 iron)). The microbiota were explored by fluorescence in situ hybridisation coupled with flow cytometry. Furthermore, metabolite production was assessed by gas chromatography. IBS volunteers had different starting microbial profiles to healthy controls. The sources of iron did not negatively impact the microbial population, with results of pea ferritin supplementation being similar to nanoparticulate iron, whilst ferrous sulphate led to enhanced Bacteroides spp. The metabolite data suggested no shift to potentially negative proteolysis. The results indicate that low doses of iron from the three sources were not detrimental to the gut microbiota. This is the first time that pea ferritin fermentation has been tested and indicates that low dose supplementation of iron is unlikely to be detrimental to the gut microbiota.

Description

Keywords

gut microbiota, iron, irritable bowel syndrome, nanoparticulate iron, pea ferritin, Batch Cell Culture Techniques, Cell Culture Techniques, Dietary Supplements, Feces, Fermentation, Ferrous Compounds, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Humans, Iron, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Nanoparticles, Pea Proteins, Proteolysis

Journal Title

Nutrients

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2072-6643
2072-6643

Volume Title

12

Publisher

MDPI AG