Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)May 29, 2026

White kidney bean fiber may improve memory problems in aging mice by reducing brain inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut-brain imbalance

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated May 30, 2026

Abstract

WKBEP supplementation significantly improved spatial learning and memory in a D-galactose-induced aging mouse model.

WKBEP is a type of dietary fiber derived from white kidney beans that resists digestion in the small intestine.
Supplementation with WKBEP preserved the structure of neurons in the hippocampus.
Enhanced antioxidant capacity and reduced neuroinflammation were observed with WKBEP intake.
WKBEP supplementation suppressed markers associated with cell death.
Changes in gut bacteria composition and increased production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids were noted.

Simplified

White kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) episperm is an abundant by-product of legume processing that contains a distinct class of non-digestible polysaccharides with high resistance to small intestinal hydrolysis. These features confer unique fermentability and the potential to modulate gut microbial ecology. Given emerging links between age-related cognitive decline, oxidative stress, inflammation, and gut microbiota dysbiosis, whether dietary white kidney bean episperm polysaccharides (WKBEP) could alleviate cognitive impairment in a D-galactose-induced aging mouse model was investigated. WKBEP supplementation significantly improved spatial learning and memory. It also preserved hippocampal neuronal morphology. These effects were associated with enhanced antioxidant capacity, attenuation of neuroinflammatory signaling, and suppression of apoptosis-related markers. In parallel, WKBEP reshaped gut microbial composition and increased the production of short-chain fatty acids. Collectively, these findings highlight WKBEP as a promising functional dietary fiber and provide a mechanistic basis for its potential application in mitigating aging-associated cognitive decline.

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Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

PubMed

White kidney bean fiber may improve memory problems in aging mice by reducing brain inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut-brain imbalance

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

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