Table 2

Bacterial counts and pH (m ± SEM, log cfu/g) in 40 healthy volunteers assigned to a 7-d consumption of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) at a dose from 2.5 to 10 g/d or a placebo

scFOS dose (g/d)

Lactobacillus

Bacteroides

Enterobacteria

pH

d8*

d15*

P**

d8*

d15*

P**

d8*

d15*

P**

d8*

d15*

P**

0 (placebo)

5.21 ± 0.36

5.18 ± 0.41

***

8.76 ± 0.45

8.53 ± 0.32

***

6.93 ± 0.29

7.07 ± 0.37

***

6.94 ± 0.13

6.91 ± 0.11

***

2.5

4.66 ± 0.48

5.14 ± 0.60

NS

8.93 ± 0.28

9.08 ± 0.17

NS

6.93 ± 0.26

7.28 ± 0.33

NS

6.68 ± 0.18

6.75 ± 0.14

NS

5.0

5.34 ± 0.66

5.99 ± 0.67

NS

8.87 ± 0.18

9.09 ± 0.28

NS

7.34 ± 0.33

7.81 ± 0.32

NS

6.48 ± 0.15

6.52 ± 0.11

NS

7.5

5.37 ± 0.40

5.97 ± 0.39

NS

8.74 ± 0.25

8.61 ± 0.29

NS

6.30 ± 0.29

6. 78 ± 0.26

NS

6.66 ± 0.13

6. 78 ± 0.13

NS

10

5.40 ± 0.41

5.73 ± 0.83

NS

8.51 ± 0.41

9. 39 ± 0.26

NS

6.28 ± 0.40

6.58 ± 0.32

NS

7.05 ± 0.21

7.20 ± 0.25

NS

*days 1–8 was a run-in period during which no treatment occurred, but subjects excluded from their diet fermented dairy products containing viable bifidobacteria and limited consumption of food products containing high level of non-digestible oligosaccharides.

** Statistical analyses were performed versus placebo, on the difference d15-d8, using an unpaired t-test

*** As the difference days 15-8 with placebo was the reference, p-values are not reported.

Bouhnik et al. Nutrition Journal 2006 5:8   doi:10.1186/1475-2891-5-8