Konjac glucomannan reduces appetite in obese mice by lowering inflammation and activity in hunger-controlling brain cells

In obese mice, KGM inhibited food intake and increased energy expenditure while altering gut microbiota.

• KGM reduced food intake and hypothalamic inflammation in obese mice.
• In nonobese mice, KGM maintained food intake and energy expenditure but increased hypothalamic inflammation.
• KGM downregulated certain genes in the hypothalamus of obese mice and had no effect on orexigenic genes in nonobese mice.
• KGM reshaped gut microbiota in obese mice and increased the formation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which correlated with appetite suppression.
• In nonobese mice, KGM did not significantly affect SCFAs, but specific gut microbes were negatively correlated with hypothalamic inflammation.
• The differential effects of KGM on appetite regulation between obese and nonobese mice may involve the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Simplified