{
  "abstract": "Background/Objectives: Obesity disrupts glucose homeostasis and insulin signaling, partly through altered gut hormone secretion and intestinal inflammation. Our previous work demonstrated that fructooligosaccharides (FOS), a prebiotic fiber, suppressed colonic inflammation, and modulated gut microbiota when administered with vitamin D supplementation. However, the effects of FOS on metabolic alterations, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) production under obesogenic stimulation remains unclear. Here, we examined the effects of FOS on insulin resistance and GLP-1 production in high-fat diet (HFD)—induced obese mice. Methods: Six-week-old male and female C57BL/6J mice were assigned to control or HFDs ± 5% FOS for 10 weeks. Body weight, visceral fat, fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were assessed. Serum GLP-1 was quantified by ELISA. Colonic expressions of Glp1r, Pi3k, and Akt were evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Cecal abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila (AM), Dubosiella newyorkensis (DN), and Romboutsia ilealis (RI) was quantified by qPCR. Results: FOS attenuated HFD-induced metabolic dysfunction, lowering serum insulin and HOMA-IR in both sexes. Notably, FOS elicited sex-dependent physical improvements of which it suppressed body weight gain by 10% in male mice and reduced visceral fat accumulation by 36% in female mice. The phenotypic changes in male mice were associated with an increase in GLP-1. Further, FOS modulated colonic PI3K/Akt signaling in a sex-dependent manner and downregulated HFD-associated increases in Glp1r mRNA expression. Consistent with our previous work, FOS suppressed RI abundance, and this reduction was associated with lower colonic Tlr4 mRNA expression and improved insulin-resistance index. Conclusions: FOS improves insulin sensitivity in HFD-induced obesity and specifically enhanced GLP-1 production in male mice. Though the mechanism remained elucidated, the observed phenotype changes may be attributed to a combination of altered colonic PI3K/Akt pathways and targeted bacterial shifts. These effects appear to be sex-dependent and support FOS as a promising dietary strategy for maintenance of metabolic health.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Nutrition and Foods Program, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Applied Arts, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lais Yuki Tuzino Kamia",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-0089-6978"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lauren Lewis"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zack Nobles"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gar Yee Koh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2783-1723"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ejyd7zqg3z86c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/nu18193258",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "ejyd7zqg3z86c",
  "issns": [
    "2072-6643"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/19/3258",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2916|Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215857390",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-02",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ejyd7zqg3z86c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/nu18193258",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/19/3258"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:2072-6643",
      "subfield": "nutrition"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Dietary Fructooligosaccharide Is Associated with Improved Insulin Resistance, Reduced Romboutsia ilealis Abundance, and Modulation of GLP-1 Production in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice",
  "title_text": "Dietary Fructooligosaccharide Is Associated with Improved Insulin Resistance, Reduced Romboutsia ilealis Abundance, and Modulation of GLP-1 Production in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ejyd7zqg3z86c",
  "venue": "Nutrients",
  "versions": []
}