Work

Prior high fiber intake impinges on the cellular responses of mesenteric adipose and intestinal tissues to subsequent high fat feeding

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: While high-fiber diets (HfiDs) promote weight loss, their long-term efficacy is limited by rapid weight regain upon returning to high-fat diets (HFDs). Using C57BL/6J mice in diet-switching paradigms, we characterized tissue-specific responses to HfiD-to-HFD transitions through single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics. HfiD pre-feeding enhanced mesenteric white adipose tissue progenitor/adipocyte sensitivity to subsequent HFD exposure. In the intestine, HfiD prevented HFD-induced immune-enterocyte expansion in the duodenum and reversed the enterocyte-to-goblet cell shift in the colon while maintaining persistent epigenetic reprogramming. Although HfiD-induced microbiome changes were largely reversed by HFD, we identified sexually dimorphic remodeling of adipose cell populations during diet transitions. Our findings demonstrate that prior HfiD feeding fundamentally reprograms adipose and intestinal responses to subsequent HFD challenge, providing mechanistic insights into dietary intervention outcomes. This work establishes a spatiotemporal resource for understanding tissue plasticity during dietary changes, offering new perspectives for obesity management strategies.

Source: Cell Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116801

Authors: Zhi Peng, Houyu Zhang, Yifei Ding, Zhen Liu, Meng Xie

Institutions: Karolinska Institutet, Peking University, Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Center for Life Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Gut microbiota and health

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,620