Health Benefits of Prebiotics Highlighted

The importance of prebiotic oligosaccharides (also present in breast milk) for the development of the intestinal flora and the maturation of the immune system was one area to be highlighted.

08/05/06 Recent research presented at ORAFTI’s 1st Asian Research Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand, highlighted that the prebiotic ingredients Beneo inulin and oligofructose have many nutritional and health benefits, including improvement of gut function and flora, promotion of calcium absorption and bone health, modulation of immune response, gut inflammation, blood lipids and appetite, as well as impact on the risk of colon cancer. The use of prebiotics in baby foods has also been studied extensively over the past years.

This first symposium offered a forum to the world’s experts in prebiotics and gastrointestinal health and more than 100 leading Asian nutritionists, dieticians, paediatricians, food scientists and researchers. It was jointly chaired by Dr. Emorn Wasantwisut, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University (Thailand) and Prof. Em. Marcel Roberfroid, Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium).

One of the highlights of the conference was the prebiotic effect and its relevance for the prevention of gastro-intestinal infections, presented by Prof. R. K. Buddington (USA). In his presentation he discussed the importance of selectively increasing intestinal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (prebiotic effect) to improve host health. He described how increasing “good bacteria” by the dietary intake of inulin-type fructans allows to improve resistance to pathogens and other health challenges.

Prof. K. E. Scholz-Ahrens (Germany) explained the benefits of BeneoSynergy1 with respect to mineral (calcium) absorption and bone health. BeneoSynergy1 is a unique form of inulin powder which contains a specific distribution of carefully selected chain lengths of inulin and oligofructose, patented by ORAFTI. Recently, it was shown that the daily consumption of 8g of Synergy1 significantly increased calcium absorption in adolescents, in both the short and long term. Moreover, their whole-body bone mineral content and density was significantly higher after 1 year of Synergy1 intake, compared to the control group.

Application of prebiotics in infant nutrition was the presentation of Prof. Y. Vandenplas (Belgium). He highlighted the importance of prebiotic oligosaccharides (also present in breast milk) for the development of the intestinal flora and the maturation of the immune system. Many intervention trials have shown a normal growth and development, as well as prebiotic properties, in babies fed prebiotic-enriched infant formulae. Mechanisms involved in the benefits of prebiotics for infants include a decrease in the gut pH, an increase in lactic acid-producing microflora, a regulation of the gut function and an improvement of the immune system. The gut flora and stool characteristics of infants fed a formula enriched with prebiotics is closer to that observed in breastfed babies compared to infants fed a standard formula. So, adding prebiotic ingredients to infant formulae allows to almost mimic mother’s milk.

Dr. Gwee Kok-Ann (Singapore) presented data on chronic diseases of the gut and the key role of the intestinal microflora. More data on the effects of inulin and oligofructose on immunity and the management of gut inflammation was discussed by Dr. F. Guarner (Spain).

A presentation by Prof. Em. M. B. Roberfroid (Belgium) about the role of inulin and oligofructose as prebiotic dietary fibres, and their impact on the modulation of lipid and glucose metabolism, intestinal hormones, satiety and food intake highlighted new areas where these prebiotic ingredients again did show interesting benefits.

A report of the latest results from the EU-sponsored SYNCAN project (co-ordinated by ORAFTI) was also presented during the Symposium, as part of a review on the anti-cancer properties of fructans given by Prof. B. Pool-Zobel (Germany). The SYNCAN project was aimed at investigating if pro-, pre- and/or synbiotics (combination of pro- and prebiotics) can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, both in animal models and in a human intervention study. The promising results obtained from the SYNCAN project will justify additional in-depth human intervention studies using Beneo Synergy1.

Dr. Anne Franck, Executive Vice President of Science and Technology at ORAFTI, commented: “This 1st Asian Research Symposium provided a unique opportunity for the scientific community of Asia Pacific to come together, to learn about new findings and developments in nutrition, and to discuss the nutritional and health benefits of Beneo inulin and oligofructose.”