Characteristics of dietary patterns, and serum metabolites during the low-gluten diet among Chinese young adults

The number of gluten-restricted dieters is growing, yet its impact on healthy diets and serum profiles is unclear. This study investigated the effects of a 2-week low-gluten diet (LGD) on the dietary patterns, serum metabolic profiles, and health status of 61 young individuals from a university in southeastern China. Data on food intake, serum metabolomics, blood biochemistry, and fecal SCFA were collected. This population was divided into four dietary patterns by k-means method:1 Processed food group (PB, n = 17), 2 Rice group (RB, n = 10), 3 Fish/shrimp-based group (SB, n = 4), and 4 Vegetable group (VB, n = 30). Serum metabolites and fecal SCFA were measured using HPLC-MS and GC-MS, respectively. After 2-week of LGD, the SB group had the highest diet diversity. There were remarked differences in nutrient intake among the four dietary patterns, but no differences in health indices or fecal SCFA. WGCNA method revealed the differences in metabolite metabolite modules 4 and 5, and 3-hydroxybutyric acid, hydrolyzed fumonisin（HFB1）, and palmitoleic acid were the different metabolites among clusters. Following a 2-week LGD, different dietary patterns lead to different nutrient intakes and serum metabolite profiles.