Regulation of poultry lipid metabolism by dietary fibre: a review

Abstract

SUMMARY Dietary fibre (DF) is considered an anti-nutritional factor due to its negative impact on feed intake and nutrient digestibility. However, there is growing evidence that DF benefits fat deposition in poultry. It may alleviate fat accumulation by regulating the abundance of beneficial gut microbial communities associated with anti-fat deposition. DFs may also regulate the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), activating the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, then stimulating lipid catabolic genes (CPT-1 and PPARα), inhibiting lipid anabolic genes (FAS, ACC, and SREBP-1c), which will ultimately lead to reduced lipogenesis. Determining the physiochemical properties, structure and level of DF inclusion is of utmost importance to achieve the above-noted benefits. This paper critically reviews the available data on the impact of supplemented DF on fat deposition in poultry and examines the mechanisms behind how DF regulates lipid metabolism. Collectively, understanding these benefits will help scientists and industry use DF in poultry nutrition for health and cost-effectiveness.