A Randomized Controlled Trial of Dietary Rice Bran Intake on Microbiota Diversity, Enteric Dysfunction, and Fecal Secretory IgA in Malian and Nicaraguan Infants

Allison C Vilander; Ann Hess; Zaid Abdo; Hend Ibrahim; Lassina Doumbia; Seydou Douyon; Karim Koné; Abdoulaye Boré; Luis E Zambrana; Samuel Vilchez; Ousmane Koita; Elizabeth P Ryan

doi:10.1093/jn/nxac087

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Dietary Rice Bran Intake on Microbiota Diversity, Enteric Dysfunction, and Fecal Secretory IgA in Malian and Nicaraguan Infants

J Nutr. 2022 Jul 6;152(7):1792-1800. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac087.

Authors

Allison C Vilander¹, Ann Hess², Zaid Abdo¹, Hend Ibrahim^{3

4}, Lassina Doumbia⁵, Seydou Douyon⁵, Karim Koné⁵, Abdoulaye Boré⁵, Luis E Zambrana⁶, Samuel Vilchez⁶, Ousmane Koita⁵, Elizabeth P Ryan³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology; College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Science; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
² Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
³ Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
⁴ Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
⁵ Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée, Campus de Badalabougou, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
⁶ Center of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Sciences, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Leόn, Nicaragua.

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition and diarrhea are leading causes of death in children aged <5 y. Rice bran is a nutrient-dense prebiotic available globally.

Objectives: The objective of this secondary analysis was to evaluate the effects of daily rice bran supplementation on environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) markers, total fecal secretory IgA (sIgA), and microbiota in infants at high risk of malnutrition.

Methods: Six-month-old Malian and Nicaraguan infants were randomly assigned to control or daily rice bran supplementation cohorts (1 to 5 g/d). Feces were collected monthly for 6 mo to evaluate fecal sIgA, markers of EED, and microbiota diversity. Statistical methods included linear mixed models, generalized mixed models, Spearman correlation, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

Results: Six-month-old Malian infants had significantly elevated sIgA (4.0× higher, P < 0.001), fecal myeloperoxidase (31.6× higher, P < 0.001), fecal α1-antitrypsin (1.8× higher, P = 0.006), and lower fecal neopterin (0.13× higher, P < 0.001) than the age-matched Nicaraguan infants. In the Nicaraguan rice bran cohort from 6 to 12 mo of age, there was a significant decrease in sIgA concentrations (0.4×, P < 0.05) and a correlation between sIgA and the EED marker α1-antitrypsin (0.523, P < 0.0001) at 12 mo of age. In Malian infants, daily rice bran ingestion resulted in decreased EED scores (0.71×, P = 0.02) and a stable sIgA concentration over time. The rice bran group of Malian infants also had correlation between sIgA and the EED marker neopterin (0.544, P < 0.001) at 12 mo of age and a significant (P < 0.05) increase in microbiota α-diversity at a younger age (9 mo with rice bran compared with 10 mo in control group), which supports earlier microbiota maturation.

Conclusions: These results support rice bran as a functional food ingredient targeting gut mucosa in children at high-risk of malnutrition.

Keywords: Mali; Nicaragua; environmental enteric dysfunction; fecal secretory IgA; prebiotic; rice bran.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Biomarkers
Eating
Feces
Humans
Immunoglobulin A, Secretory
Infant
Malnutrition*
Microbiota*
Neopterin
Oryza*

Substances

Biomarkers
Immunoglobulin A, Secretory
Neopterin

Grants and funding

T32 OD010437/OD/NIH HHS/United States