White kidney beans contain α-
amylase inhibitors that can be used in diet for
weight reduction. In this study, we investigated the potential of white kidney bean (phaseolus vulgaris L.) extract enriched in α-
amylase inhibitor as a
food additive in yogurt to regulate
blood glucose in hyperglycemic animals. Five groups of C57BL/6J mice were fed for 8 weeks with standard chow diets, high-fat diets (HFD), or high-fat diets with supplement of α-
amylase inhibitor in white kidney beans (P. vulgaris extract, PVE), yogurt (Y), and PVE added yogurt (YPVE), respectively. The HFD weakened
glucose tolerance and caused
insulin resistance in mice, and changed the characteristics of intestinal flora. The intervention of Y, PVE, and YPVE decreased
blood glucose,
insulin,
hyperlipidemia, and inflammatory
cytokine levels in mice fed with HFD. Moreover, the YPVE could regulate the components of host intestinal microbiota toward a healthy pattern, significantly increased the metabolic-related flora Corynebacterium, Granulicatella, and Streptococcus, while it decreased Paraprevotella and Allobaculum. Thus, YPVE markedly increased functions of "
Amino Acid Metabolism," "Energy Metabolism," "
Nucleotide Metabolism," and declined functions of "
Glycan Biosynthesis and Metabolism." Consequently, YPVE could be developed as a new functional food because of its beneficial
prebiotic properties in the
metabolic syndrome.