Effect of High Cholesterol Diet and Polydextrose Supplementation on the Microflora, Bacterial Enzyme Activity, Putrefactive Products, Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) Profile, Weight, and pH of the Feces in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

Effects of a high cholesterol (HC) diet and HC diet supplemented with polydextrose on fecal flora, fecal bacterial enzyme activity and fecal putrefactive products in eight healthy volunteers were studied. They were fed a low cholesterol (LC) diet, HC diet, HC diet supplemented with polydextrose (15 g/day) (HCP) at 2-week intervals consecutively for 6 weeks. Polydextrose supplementation increased fecal weight and decreased fecal pH and the stool concentration of indole, p-cresol, iso-valeric acid and iso-butyric acid. A significant reduction of Clostridium in the feces was also observed during the HCP diet period. The frequency of occurrence and number of Clostridium perfringens in the feces were lower for the HCP diet than for the HC diet. Epidemiologic and experimental studies indicate that geographic, urbanrural, and socioeconomic differences exist in the incidence of colon and rectal cancer (4,8,18) and that dietary factors, particularly a high fat intake and a relatively low intake of certain types of dietary fiber, play important roles in their etiology (2,26,31,32). Carcinogens or cocarcinogens are produced in the gut by bacterial action on dietary components or on secretions produced in response to the diet (14). Studies comparing feces of subjects from Scotland, England and the United States (high-risk area for large bowel cancer) to subjects from India, Japan, 53

Effect of Polydextrose Intake on Constipation in Japanese Dialysis Patients: A Triple-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial

“…could be because the intestinal environment was improved by PDX, which induces an increase in fecal bulk, softens stools, lowers fecal pH, and is partially fermented in the large bowel (8)(9)(10)(11), and which was also shown to be selectively fermented by the fecal microbiota and to have stimulated bifidobacterial growth in an in vitro study (28).…”

Dietary fiber type reflects physiological functionality: comparison of grain fiber, inulin, and polydextrose

“…Increased fecal SCFA concentration has been reported only in one human study on inulin 79 and one on polydextrose 82 . However, reduced fecal pH in human studies has been detected following consumption of grain fiber 88,90,92,95,120 and polydextrose 82,100,102 but not with inulin, 79,99,121 which is rapidly fermented in the proximal colon.…”

“…Polydextrose also has beneficial effects on bowel function. It has been shown to increase stool bulk 82,100,101 and frequency, 82,100 to improve stool consistency, 82,101 and to make defecation easier 82,102 (Table 7). Due to its branched chain structure, polydextrose is only partially degraded in the gut.…”

Polydextrose and maintenance of normal defecation: evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

“…A claim submitted under the Article 13(1) procedure on polydextrose and changes in bowel function was evaluated by the Panel with an unfavourable opinion on the basis of the poor methodological quality of the human intervention studies which were submitted for substantiation (Tomlin and Read, ; Endo et al., ; Achour et al., ; Jie et al., ). In addition to these, the applicant has provided three other human intervention studies which have investigated the effects of polydextrose on different outcome variables related to the claimed effect (Timm et al., ; Vester Boler et al., ; Sarkkinen et al., ) and three in vitro studies as being pertinent to the claim.…”