Fluctuations in Intestinal Microbiota Following Ingestion of Natto Powder Containing SONOMONO Spores: Considerations Using a Large-Scale Intestinal Microflora Database.

Improving the intestinal microbiota using probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics has attracted attention as a method of disease prevention and treatment. This is the first study to discuss the effects of food intake on the intestinal microbiota using a large Japanese intestinal microbiota database. Here, as a case study, we determined changes in the intestinal microbiota caused by ingestion of a processed natto food containing SONOMONO spores, SONOMONO NATTO POWDER CAPSULES, by analyzing 16S rRNA sequence data generated using next-generation sequencing techniques. The results showed that the relative abundance of and as well as the relative abundance of were increased in males and females in the ingesting group, respectively. Additionally, the effects of SONOMONO NATTO POWDER CAPSULES intake on and abundance depended on the relative abundance of at baseline. Finally, analysis of a large Japanese intestinal microbiota database suggested that the bacterial genera that fluctuated with the ingestion of SONOMONO NATTO POWDER CAPSULES may be associated with lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes.