The gut microbiome is a complex biological community that deeply affects various aspects of human health, including dietary intake, disease progression, drug metabolism, and immune system regulation. Edible mushroom polysaccharides (EMPs) are bioactive fibers derived from mushrooms that possess a range of beneficial properties, including anti-tumor, antioxidant, antiviral, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory effects. Studies have demonstrated that EMPs are resistant to human digestive enzymes and serve as a crucial source of energy for the gut microbiome, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. EMPs also positively impact human health by modulating the composition of the gut microbiome. This review discusses the extraction and purification processes of EMPs, their potential to improve health conditions by regulating the composition of the gut microbiome, and their application prospects. Furthermore, this paper provides valuable guidance and recommendations for future studies on EMPs consumption in disease management.

Background: The development and maturation of rumen microbiota across the lifetime of grazing yaks remain unexplored due to the varied lifestyles and feed types of yaks as well as the challenges of obtaining samples. In addition, the interactions among four different rumen microbial groups (bacteria, archaea, fungi and protozoa) in the rumen of yak are not well defined. In this study, the rumen microbiota of full-grazing yaks aged 7 days to 12 years old was assessed to determine the maturation patterns of these four microbial groups and the dynamic interactions among them during different growth stages. Results: The rumen microbial groups (bacteria, archaea, protozoa and fungi) varied through the growth of yaks from neonatal (7 days) to adult (12 years), and the bacterial and archaeal groups were more sensitive to changes in growth stages compared to the two eukaryotic microbial groups. The age-discriminatory taxa within each microbial group were identified with the random forest model. Among them, Olsenella (bacteria), Group 10 sp., belonging to the family Methanomassiliicoccaceae (archaea), Orpinomyces (fungi), and Dasytricha (protozoa) contributed the most to discriminating the age of the rumen microbiota. Moreover, we found that the rumen archaea reached full maturation at 5 approximately years of age, and the other microbial groups matured between 5 and 8 years of age. The intra-interactions patterns and keystone species within each microbial group were identified by network analysis, and the inter-interactions among the four microbial groups changed with growth stage. Regarding the inter-interactions among the four microbial groups, taxa from bacteria and protozoa, including Christensenellaceae R-7 group, Prevotella 1, Trichostomatia, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014 and Lachnospiraceae, were the keystone species in the network based on betweenness centrality scores. Conclusions: This study depicted a comprehensive view of rumen microbiota changes in different growth stages of grazing yaks. The results revealed the unique microbiota maturation trajectory and the intra- and inter-interactions among bacteria, archaea, fungi and protozoa in the rumen of grazing yaks across the lifetime of yaks. The information obtained in this study is vital for the future development of strategies to manipulate rumen microbiota in grazing yaks for better growth and performance in the harsh Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau ecosystem.

(1) Background: With the aging demographic shift in society, there is a growing number of middle-aged and elderly individuals affected by metabolic syndrome (MetS), a risk factor contributing to all causes of mortality. Inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of MetS. This study aims to examine the correlation between MetS and pro-inflammatory diets in middle-aged and elderly individuals, utilizing the Dietary Inflammation Index (DII) as a measure. (2) Methods: Data were extracted from the 2007–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for individuals who were 45 years of age or older. The DII was determined for each participant through 24-h dietary recall interviews. The relationship between DII and MetS was assessed using binary logistic regression analysis, and the association between DII and MetS-related indicators was further explored through generalized linear model (GLM) and quantile regression analysis. (3) Results: A total of 3843 middle-aged and elderly individuals were included in the study. After controlling for confounding factors, the highest quartile of DII was associated with a higher risk of MetS (OR${}_{Q4:Q1}$ = 1.339; 95% CI: 1.013, 1.769; p for trend = 0.018). The top DII quartile also increased the risk of reduced HDL-C (OR${}_{Q4:Q1}$ = 1.499; 95% CI: 1.005, 2.234; p for trend = 0.048) and raised FG (OR${}_{Q4:Q1}$ = 1.432; 95% CI: 1.095, 1.873; p for trend = 0.010) compared to the lowest DII quartile. The levels of DII were found to be positively correlated with BMI ($\beta$ = 0.258, p = 0.001), FPG ($\beta$ = 0.019, p = 0.049), TG ($\beta$ = 2.043, p = 0.013), waistline ($\beta$ = 0.580, p = 0.002), and negatively correlated with HDL-C ($\beta$ = −0.672, p = 0.003). (4) Conclusions: In middle-aged and elderly individuals in the United States, a high DII score has been linked to the presence of MetS, low HDL-C, and hyperglycemia. Therefore, dietary recommendations for the middle-aged and elderly should focus on reducing the DII by choosing foods rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, and unsaturated fatty acids.

Zinc deficiency could lead to a dynamic variation in gut microbial composition and function in animals. However, how zinc deficiency affects the gut microbiome in school-age children remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to profile the dynamic shifts in the gut microbiome of school-age children with zinc deficiency, and to determine whether such shifts are associated with dietary intake. A dietary survey, anthropometric measurements, and serum tests were performed on 177 school-age children, and 67 children were selected to explore the gut microbial community using amplicon sequencing. School-age children suffered from poor dietary diversity and insufficient food and nutrient intake, and 32% of them were zinc deficient. The inflammatory cytokines significantly increased in the zinc deficiency (ZD) group compared to that in the control (CK) group (p < 0.05). There was no difference in beta diversity, while the Shannon index was much higher in the ZD group (p < 0.05). At the genus level, Coprobacter, Acetivibrio, Paraprevotella, and Clostridium_XI were more abundant in the ZD group (p < 0.05). A functional predictive analysis showed that the metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 was significantly depleted in the ZD group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, gut microbial diversity was affected by zinc deficiency with some specific bacteria highlighted in the ZD group, which may be used as biomarkers for further clinical diagnosis of zinc deficiency.

This study aimed to evaluate the status of dietary diversity and nutrient intake among Han and Dongxiang smallholder farmers in poor rural areas of northwest China. In this cross-sectional study, dietary intake was assessed in 499 smallholder farmers aged 18–75 years from two nationally designated impoverished counties in Gansu Province, China, using three consecutive 24 h dietary recalls. The dietary diversity score (DDS) and nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) were adopted to assess dietary diversity and micronutrient adequacy, respectively. The mean DDS (range from 1 to 9) in participants was relatively low (3.81 ± 1.01). Consumption of grains was excessive, while consumption of vegetables, fruits, meat, beans, eggs, fish, and dairy was inadequate. The NAR values were higher in Han Chinese, with the exceptions of vitamin C, potassium, pyridoxine, and selenium (p < 0.05). For each nutrient, the high DDS group had a higher mean NAR (p < 0.05), except for pyridoxine. High household monthly income, being Han Chinese, high DDS, and being aged over 45 years were positively associated with mean adequacy ratio (MAR) of 14 micronutrients evaluated. Lack of dietary diversity and insufficient intake of essential micronutrients are public health concerns in northwest China. Nutrition education and other proper methods to address these issues are needed.