Orafti Synergy1 Shown to Aid Healthy Ageing and Extend Life – Rat Study

New findings from a life-long supplementation with Orafti Synergy1 in rats demonstrate its beneficial impact in the ageing process resulting in an improved quality of life and life prolongation.

23/04/08 The results of BENEO-Orafti’s latest study demonstrates that supplementation of Orafti Synergy1 in rats can promote life-long health.

Orafti Synergy1 is a well-known prebiotic that improves health and well-being in humans. Such effects are of particular importance during ageing given that a well-balanced gut microflora is associated with an improved inner protection and overall health and well-being. New findings from a life-long supplementation with Orafti Synergy1 in rats demonstrate its beneficial impact in the ageing process resulting in an improved quality of life and life prolongation.

The Ageing Process
In our industrialised societies, people are living longer with the mean age continually increasing, resulting in a higher fraction of the population above the age of sixty-five. In this elderly population, well-being is closely associated with leading an active, healthy and independent life. Nutritional strategies to decrease morbidity and to prolong life are therefore of high interest. The reduction in overall health that occurs during the ageing process is often accompanied by an increase in chronic and acute infections of which many have their origins in the gastrointestinal tract. To maintain good health at elderly age, an optimal balance of the intestinal tract and its microbiota is especially important.

The Negative Impact of an Unhealthy Gut
Within the microbial ecology of the intestinal tract, age-related changes occur at the population level of dominant groups of bacteria, e.g. with decreased levels of bifidobacteria and elevated levels of clostridia, streptococci and enterobacteria. Such alterations in the microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract can result in malfunctioning of the intestines leading to inconveniences such as constipation, and increase the risk of developing diseases such as colitis or colon cancer. Ecological changes in the gut microflora of elderly individuals may induce physiological effects that go beyond the gastrointestinal tract and contribute to overall host health. Prebiotic and synbiotic administration has been shown to restore the intestinal ecology and to improve well-being in the elderly.

The Study
In this new study, the effects of life-long supplementation with Orafti Synergy1 on morphological and biological markers as well as lifespan in rats were investigated (Rozan et al. in press). Three-month old rats (60 males and 60 females) were randomised into 4 groups: control male group, Orafti Synergy1 male group, control female group and Orafti Synergy1 female group. Rats received either a diet with 10% of Orafti Synergy1 or a standard diet (control) for 27 months.

The rats were weighed every 2 weeks and their food intake was evaluated on four successive days every 4 to 6 weeks. Body composition evaluation, anatomo-pathological analyses and biological samples (cholesterol and triglyceride levels and glycaemia) were taken at 12, 18 and 24 months of age. The remainder of the rats were followed until the age they died. Rats were housed in cages in a regular environment with an inverted light/dark cycle and had free access to tap water and their specific diets. Throughout the whole experiment, animals were placed once a week for two hours in a training environment to allow them to age harmoniously and to avoid any disadvantages that occur when breeding in restricted cages.

The Results
The study showed that life-long supplementation with Orafti Synergy1 in rats delays the onset of age-related physiological and morphological changes (body weight, fat mass, blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides) and prolongs life. This is the first time that increased survival rates of both male and female rats have been demonstrated after life-long supplementation with a prebiotic. The mechanisms underlying this prolongation of life with Orafti Synergy1 supplementation remain unclear. It can be hypothesised, however, that this effect is linked to the beneficial changes in biomarkers observed in the current study. Inulin-type fructans stimulate health-promoting bacteria in the large intestine, thereby improving digestive health which is vital to maintain overall health and well-being throughout life.

Reference
Rozan P, Nejdi A, Hidalgo S, Bisson J-F, Desor D, Messaoudi M (2008) Effects of life-long intervention with an oligofructose-enriched inulin in rats on general health and lifespan. Brit. J. Nutr. (in press)