Red cabbage microgreen modulation of gut microbiota is associated with attenuation of diet-induced obesity risk factors in a mouse model.

Cruciferous vegetable microgreens, such as red cabbage microgreens (RCMG), are of special interest due to their well-documented health-promoting effects compared to their mature counterparts. However, little is known of the biological effects of microgreens. The present study used a rodent diet-induced obesity model to investigate the effect of consuming RCMG on the gut microbiota. We found that the consumption of RCMG exerted profound impacts on the microbial composition in mice. Specifically, the species diversity of mice on both low fat (LF) and high fat (HF) diets was significantly increased by the consumption of RCMG. In comparison with the LF control group, the intake of RCMG increased the gut Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio. Furthermore, an unidentified species of the Clostridiales order, increased by RCMG, was found to be negatively correlated with the hepatic cholesterol ester level in mice (