Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-xfwgj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T21:47:34.278Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relation between bacterial degradation of viscous polysaccharides and stool output in human beings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

J. Tomlin  and
N. W. Read
J. Tomlin
Affiliation:
Sub-Department of Human Gastrointestinal Physiology and Nutrition, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2JF
N. W. Read
Affiliation:
Sub-Department of Human Gastrointestinal Physiology and Nutrition, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2JF
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. The relation between bacterial degradation of three viscous polysaccharides (guar gum, ispaghula and xanthan gum) by colonic bacteria in vitro and their effects on colonic function were investigated by comparing the results of anaerobic in vitro incubations with fresh faeces from seven healthy volunteers (measuring viscosity, pH and gas production) with the effects of feeding all three polysaccharides to the same volunteers for 1 week each (14–15 g/d) on faecal mass and whole-gut transit time.

2. Guar gum was rapidly fermented in vitro by faecal bacteria from all volunteers with concomitant loss of viscosity, reduction in pH and generation of gases. Ispaghula maintained its viscosity during incubation, but the pH fell significantly. The results of xanthan gum incubations showed considerable individual variation.

3. Only ispaghula significantly increased faecal mass, whilst none of the gums significantly affected stool frequency or transit time. Statistical analysis of the pooled results showed that although transit time and faecal output were inversely related, feeding viscous polysaccharides could influence these indices independently. Stool frequency was significantly correlated with the transit time, but not the faecal output.

4. Transit time was reduced by gum feeding to a significantly greater extent in those subjects whose faecal bacteria reduced or removed the viscosity of that gum, than in those subjects where the viscosity was maintained. In contrast, there was a smaller increase in faecal mass when the viscosity of the appropriate cultures was removed than when it was maintained or reduced. Increases in stool frequency were significantly associated with hydrogen production from in vitro cultures.

Type
Clinical and Human Nutrition papers: Studies in Man
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 60 , Issue 3 , November 1988 , pp. 467 - 475
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1988

References

Burkitt, D. P., Walker, A. R. & Painter, N. S. (1972) Lancet ii, 1408–1411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Candau, M. & Vigroux, P. (1974) Comptes Rendus Societe de Biologie 168, 893–897.Google Scholar
Corbett, C. L., Thomas, S., Read, N. W., Hobson, N., Bergman, I. & Holdsworth, C. D. (1981) Gut 22, 836–840.Google Scholar
Cummings, J. H., Jenkins, D. J. & Wiggins, H. S. (1976) Gut 17, 210–218.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eastwood, M. A., Brydon, W. G. & Anderson, D. M. W. (1986) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 44, 51–55.Google Scholar
Gregory, P. L. (1984) Journal of Physiology 346, 379–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mark, H. (1945). In Physical Methods of Organic Chemistry, Vol 1, pp. 135–147 [Weissburger, A.. editor]. New York: Intersciences.Google Scholar
Prynne, C. J. & Southgate, D. A. T. (1979) British Journal of Nutrition 41, 495–503.Google Scholar
Stasse-Wolthius, M., Hautvast, J. G., Hermus, R. J., Katan, M. B., Bausch, J. E., Reitberg-Brussard, J. H., Velema, J. P., Zondervan, J. H., Eastwood, M. A. & Brydon, W. G. (1979) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 32, 1881–1888.Google Scholar
Svendsen, P. (1972) Nordisk Veterinaer Medicin 24, 393–396.Google Scholar
Tomlin, J. (1987) Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 22, Suppl. 129, 100–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomlin, J., Read, N. W., Edwards, C. A. & Duerden, B. I. (1986) British Journal of Nutrition 55, 481–486.Google Scholar
Wald, A., Van Thiel, D. H., Hoechstetter, L., Gavaler, J. S., Egler, K. M., Verm, R., Scott, L. R. & Lester, R. (1981) Gastroenterology 80, 1497–1500.Google Scholar
Yokokura, T., Yajima, T. & Hashimoto, S. (1977) Life Sciences 21, 59–62.Google Scholar