Mulberry polyphenols and polysaccharides shifted mouse gut microbes; human microbiota trials are still missing

What the research found

Review (mostly animal and lab). Anna Prescha of Wroclaw Medical University and colleagues, including former students Marta Maria Miszczak and Karolina Kłosowska-Buryło, review mulberry and gut microbes in Biomolecules (2026; 16(7):965; doi 10.3390/biom16070965; ScienceDaily 30 September 2026). White mulberry leaves contain 1-deoxynojirimycin plus polyphenols and polysaccharides; black mulberry fruit is rich in anthocyanins. Drying, fermentation, and extraction change the mix. In some experiments, leaf or fruit fractions shifted microbes and raised short-chain fatty acids. In mice on a high-fat diet, a white-mulberry fruit fraction with both polyphenols and polysaccharides changed the microbiota more than either fraction alone, and transferring those microbes to other mice tracked some metabolic improvements. The authors say no human study has yet tested how a characterized mulberry preparation changes the gut microbiota. Educational notes. This is not a reason to take a mulberry product for blood sugar or weight.

Evidence level: Animal study. Results in animals or cells often don't carry over to people.

Read the original at Wroclaw Medical University / Biomolecules