Xylooligosaccharides: The low-dose prebiotic

Xylooligosaccharides: The low-dose prebiotic

Xylooligosaccharides: The low-dose prebiotic

By Prof. Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH(AHG)

Huntington University of Health Sciences

Dietary prebiotics are typically indigestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper portion of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and stimulate the growth or activity of friendly, probiotic bacteria that colonize the colon by acting as a substrate for them. Whatever the type, a common feature is that several grams are typically required to achieve clinical benefit. However, there is one exception: xylooligosaccharides (XOS), which have been shown to provide prebiotic benefits with just a 1.032 to 1.4 g dose.

What is XOS?
XOS consist primarily of two or three xylose units with beta-1,4 linkages. They are obtained through hemicellulose hydrolysis, which occurs relatively frequently in the cell walls of grains. XOS increases the number of intestinesBifidobacteriumin humans and keeps the water content in the stool within the normal range.2

What is the evidence?
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 3 healthy adult subjects (n = 32) received 1.4 g of XOS, 2.8 g of XOS, or placebo in daily doses. The study consisted of a two-week run-in, an eight-week intervention, and a two-week washout period. Stool samples were collected at baseline, after four and eight weeks of the intervention, and two weeks after the intervention ended. Samples were subjected to culture, pyrosequencing of community DNA, pH and SCFA analyses. Tolerability was assessed by daily symptom charts. The results were that XOS was tolerated without significant gastrointestinal side effects andBifidobacteriumthe number increased in both XOS groups compared to the placebo subjects. The 1.4 g per day group had significantly higherBifdobacteriumcounts compared to the test subjects in the placebo group after eight and 10 weeks. The researchers concluded that XOS supplementation “may be beneficial to the gastrointestinal microbiota” and “the low dose required and lack of GI side effects make the use of XOS as a dietary supplement possible.”

Conclusion
It should be noted that in the XOS study mentioned above, the minimum effective dose of 1.4 g was based on a 70% XOS material. Therefore, 0.98 g of XOS was the yield (i.e., 1.4 x 70 percent = 0.98). However, a 95% XOS material is also available, so only 1.032g would be needed to give the same 0.98g. In any case, XOS appears to offer the lowest effective dose of any prebiotic currently used.

References:

Professor Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, provost for Huntington College of Health Sciences, is a nutritionist, herbalist, author and educator. For more than 37 years, he has educated and trained natural products retailers and healthcare professionals, researched and formulated natural products for dozens of dietary supplement companies, and authored articles on nutrition, herbal medicine, nutraceuticals, and integrative health issues for trade and consumer magazines and peer-reviewed publications. He can be reached at gbruno@hchs.edu.

• 4 Gestänge
• Beta-1
• Bifidobakterium
• klinischer Nutzen
• Doppelblind
• Fructooligosaccharide
• Magen-Darmtrakt
• Magen-Darm-Trakt
• unverdauliche Ballaststoffe
• Placebo-kontrollierte Studie
• präbiotische Vorteile
• Präbiotika
• Prof. Gene Bruno Blog
• Pyrosequenzierung
• zufällig
• unverdaut
• XOS
• Xylooligosaccharide

Read original article in English.