Synbiotic with oligofructose proven to reduce oxidative stress
A synbiotic formulation containing OraftiP95 (6.6 g/day of oligofructose) and probiotics was given in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to fifty-three healthy Estonian adults for a period of 3 weeks.
18/12/07 Scientific research has demonstrated that the gut microflora plays an important role in preserving host health and that the addition of prebiotics and probiotics can improve the composition and activity of the gut microflora. The EU and Microfunction Project has gone on to further conclude that with synbiotic supplementation an improvement in biomarkers of anti-oxidative activity can be achieved. This scientific development is a welcome breakthrough as oxidative stress has been implicated with conditions such as chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, obesity and others.
The Project was established through a network of extensive collaborations between 8 partners from 7 different countries (6 European - including BENEO-Orafti - and 1 Australian partner) under the support of the European Commission (EU Project number QLK1-2001-00135).
The project’s combined approach included basic research into the interplay between the microflora and the host (host-gene interactions) at the level of the gut, safety assessment of new isolated microbial strains, translocation studies, prebiotic efficacy studies, which led to the development of carefully matched synbiotic combinations with highest efficacy. Ultimately, a study in humans was conducted to investigate the effects of a synbiotic on health and well-being, using specific biomarkers. The study results were presented at the Nutrition Society meeting (16-19 July 2007, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland) (Saulnier et al. 2007).
A synbiotic is a combination of a live microbial food supplement (probiotic) and a prebiotic; the latter being a non-digestible food ingredient that selectively stimulates the growth and/or activity of a limited number of bacteria in the colon, thereby improving host health. Addition of prebiotics was estimated to aid in the action of certain probiotics to scavenge reactive oxygen species. Addition of synbiotics with anti-oxidative activity can help to maintain a physiologically acceptable redox status in the human body.
A synbiotic formulation containing OraftiP95 (6.6 g/day of oligofructose) and probiotics (Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3, Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 and Bifidobacterium longum 46) was given in a randomised, double-blind (cross-over), placebo-controlled trial to fifty-three healthy Estonian adults for a period of 3 weeks. Biomarkers of oxidative stress such as total anti-oxidative activity (TAA; linolenic acid test) and oxidation of LDL (BCD-LDL; baseline diene conjugates of LDL) were monitored in blood. Predominant groups of the faecal microbiota were enumerated using molecular techniques (fluorescent in situ hybridisation) and short-chain fatty acids were analysed as a measure of microbial activity.
After synbiotic ingestion, biomarkers of anti-oxidative stress improved compared with the placebo (maltodextrin); TAA was higher with the synbiotic compared with the placebo, with means of 42.4% and 41.9%, respectively (P=0.04). Moreover, oxidation of LDL decreased with the synbiotic (12.6 μM compared with 14.6 μM for the placebo; P=0.01). In faecal samples, results showed significantly higher numbers of bifidobacteria with the synbiotic (9.7 log(10) cells/g vs. 9.5 log(10) cells/g for the placebo; P=0.002) and, to a lower extent, of the Atopobium group (9.7 log(10) cells/g with the synbiotic vs. 9.6 log(10) cells/g for the placebo; P<0.001). Increases in these groups were more pronounced when baseline levels were low before synbiotic ingestion. Significantly higher faecal butyrate concentrations were observed with the synbiotic (10.0 mM vs. 8.1 mM for the placebo; P=0.009).
These data show that the addition of the synbiotic to the diet of healthy individuals improved their gastro-intestinal health by an increase in both bifidobacteria and butyrate levels, and importantly, that the synbiotic combination improved the anti-oxidative status of the human body.
Dr. Anne Franck, Vice President of Research & Development at the BENEO-Group, comments: “The improvement in biomarkers of anti-oxidative activity seen with the synbiotic supplementation in this study is promising and warrants further research, especially since high oxidative stress is known to cause harm to our bodies.”
The results from the EU and MICROFUNCTION Project do make a clear link between diet and health and they contribute to the growing scientific knowledge in the role that pre- and probiotics play in a healthy diet. The EU and MICROFUNCTION Project was highly successful given the results obtained and the high-fidelity technologies developed and used during the project duration. The results obtained provide new insights into the development of dietary recommendations to maintain and improve gut health, and advice on dietary-based policies to combat the economic burden of gut-associated and other Western diseases. They also give directions to the academic world to better understand and explore more in depth the mechanisms of pre- and probiotic interactions at the gut and systemic levels.
