Pea Dietary Fibre Improves Obesity, Intestinal Barrier, Reproductive Performance of Parent Mice Deprived of Dietary Fibre, and Health of Offspring

As a potential high-quality protein food, peas are enriched in protein and fibre. This study investigated the judicious utilisation of pea fibre and the impact of maternal diet on offspring health in mice. Thirty-six eight-week-old, female, healthy C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups (n=12 per group): deprived fibre diet (DFD), 5% pea fibre diet (LFD), and 10% pea fibre (HFD) diet. After weaning, the offspring mice were fed the same diet as their parents; the respective corresponding groups were DFDO, LFDO, and HFDO. Fibre-deprived mice exhibited decreased average litter size, diminished reproductive performance, increased body weight, and intestinal barrier damage. Mice fed pea fibre showed increased litter size, improved fertility rate of parental mice, regulated body weight, and maintained a normal intestinal barrier morphology without inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, 16S rRNA analysis revealed that pea fibres enhanced the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota and altered microbial composition. Notably, changes in Lactobacillus and Parabacteroides in fibre-deprived mice suggest that pea fibres might be a potentially beneficial option for neuropsychiatric diseases. In conclusion, supplementing the diet of maternal mice with pea fibres can mitigate the aforementioned issues in their offspring. This study emphasised the crucial role of maternal fibre consumption in increasing litter size, promoting gut health in offspring, and reducing susceptibility to obesity.