Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the major liver disease worldwide and is linked to the development of metabolic syndrome and obesity. As alpha-galacto-oligosaccharides (α-GOS) from legumes have been shown to reduce body weight and hyperphagia in overweight adults, it was hypothesized that they would exert benefits on the development of metabolic syndrome and associated NAFLD in a rodent model. C57Bl/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet until they developed metabolic syndrome and were then orally treated either with α-GOS at a physiological dose (2.2 g/kg BW/d) or the vehicle over 7 weeks. α-GOS induced a reduction in food intake, but without affecting body weight during the first week of treatment, when compared to the vehicle. Fasting glycaemia was improved after 4 weeks of treatment with α-GOS, whereas insulin sensitivity (assessed with HOMA-IR) was unaffected at the end of the experiment. Plasma non-esterified fatty acids, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol were lowered by α-GOS while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides levels remained unaffected. α-GOS markedly improved liver steatosis as well as free fatty acid and triglyceride accumulation in the liver. α-GOS improved plasma lipids and prevented NAFLD development through mechanisms which are independent of body weight management and glycemic control.
Keywords: NAFLD; alpha-galacto-oligosaccharides; metabolic syndrome; pre-diabetes; prebiotic.