Effects of polysaccharides on glycometabolism based on gut microbiota alteration

Background As an important role of host homeostasis, the glycometabolism was closely related to the process and metabolic pathways of carbohydrates such as glycolysis, hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, and pentose phosphate in the host. Disorders of glycometabolism result in a series of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypoglycemia, and etc. Scope and approach Polysaccharides, which were widely existing in daily diet and cannot be directly digested by gastrointestinal enzymes in the host, were considered to have beneficial effects on the glycometabolism. Furthermore, the relationship between polysaccharides and gut microbiota, have attracted extensive attention in the researches for glycometabolism-related diseases. Gut microbiota participates in the process of glycometabolism based on the fermentation of dietary polysaccharides and related metabolites. Key findings and conclusions This review aims at summarizing the state of the effects of the polysaccharides on glycometabolism through gut microbiota modification and exploring the underlying mechanisms for the beneficial effects of the polysaccharides on glycometabolism disorders.