4. Discussion
inflammation, overweight, weight loss
CELIAC DISEASE, INFLAMMATION
This study investigated the effects of the consumption of extruded SC319 whole sorghum or extruded whole wheat associated with an 8-week daily 500 kcal energy restriction diet on the modulation of intestinal health with a focus on gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acid production, fecal pH, and weight loss and inflammation markers. Extruded sorghum and whole wheat did not show differences in α and β diversity indexes, short-chain fatty acid synthesis, and fecal pH. However, sorghum consumption promoted alterations at the genus level compared to baseline, reducing Extruded whole wheat and sorghum have a similar concentration of total dietary fiber, promoting a similar dietary fiber intake when consumed for eight weeks. This resulted in similar effects on fecal pH, short-chain fatty acid synthesis, and microbial diversity. However, sorghum SC319 promoted a weight loss intragroup, probably due to its unique phenolic compounds, 3-deoxyanthocianins, and proanthocyanins, which complex with starch, thereby reducing their digestibility [The extruded SC319 sorghum consumption tended to reduce the proteobacteria phylum, most of which is pathogenic. At the genus level, We observed that overweight male individuals intaking 40 g/day of extruded whole sorghum SC319, rich in 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, for eight weeks, did not change the anti-inflammatory markers. A previous study with these individuals also showed no effects on the antioxidant response [The intake of extruded sorghum is an alternative to wheat consumption, which can improve the life quality of populations, especially individuals with celiac disease. Thus, sorghum is an excellent substitute for wheat intake since it does not have allergen compounds and, when combined with other ingredients, can be used to produce beverages, pasta, bread, cakes, and biscuits, among other bakery products. The unique techno-functional and biofunctional properties of kafirins, such as non-allergenic features and slow digestibility by mammalian proteases, amplify the applications of sorghum flour in food production [Although no effects were observed regarding the composition of the intestinal microbiota in the extruded whole sorghum and wheat groups, sorghum can be an alternative to wheat since it is a non-allergenic cereal and has been demonstrated to enhance weight loss, in addition to showing similar results to wheat on SCFA synthesis and fecal pH.The strength of the present study is to associate two interventions, namely the use of extruded whole sorghum, a prebiotic, with a caloric restriction diet, to investigate the systemic effects on body composition, inflammatory markers, and intestinal health, encouraging the consumption of this cereal in the human population. The limitations of this study are as follows: the small number of volunteers in each group; the unusual consumption of sorghum by most of the world population, besides being considered a whole ingredient by Brazilian Official Institutions; the duration of the intervention, because eight weeks may not be a sufficient amount of time to find effects on intestinal health; gut microbiota composition; and the data collection, due to it being in the second phase of a crossover study, as weight loss is more effective in the first weeks with a caloric restriction diet [