Digestion, excretion, and energy value of fructooligosaccharides in healthy humans.
Molis C, Flourié B, Ouarne F, Gailing MF, Lartigue S, Guibert A, Bornet F, Galmiche JP.
Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Laënnec, Nantes, France.
The fate of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in the human gastrointestinal tract was evaluated in six healthy volunteers over an 11-d period. After an equilibration phase, 20.1 g FOS/d was given in three identical postprandial doses. Distal ileal output of FOS and their constituent components were determined by intestinal aspiration after a single meal, and the amounts of FOS excreted in stools and urine were also measured. Most of ingested FOS, 89 +/- 8.3% (mean +/- SEM), was not absorbed in the small intestine, and none was excreted in stools, indicating that the portion reaching the colon was completely fermented by colonic flora. A small fraction of ingested FOS was recovered in urine. The mean estimated energy value of FOS was 9.5 kJ/g. We conclude that in healthy humans, FOS are only slightly digested in the small intestine and then fermented in the colon, resulting in reduced energy production.
PMID: 8780341 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]