Dietary combination of potato resistant starch and red meat up-regulates genes involved in colonic barrier function of rats

In a recent study, we have shown the favourable colonic effects of potato fibre and potato resistant starch through increased proliferation of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli or elevated short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in rats fed a red meat‐based diet (Paturi et al., 2012c). Our hypothesis was that these changes in the microbiota and their metabolism may have positively influenced gene expression in the colon, given that beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are capable of enhancing the intestinal epithelial cell functions. Therefore, in the present study, we set out to investigate how the consumption of fermentable fibres, alongside a red meat diet affected the expression of genes involved in various protective mechanisms in the colon of rats.