Gut Health News to Digest

Digestive health, one of today’s top health concerns, encompasses various conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gas. Healthy digestive systems are linked to overall wellness and properly functioning immune systems. The most recognized digestive health ingredients include prebiotics, dietary fiber, and probiotics. Here’s a look at some of these ingredients that benefit the digestive system.

Probiotics
One of the keys to a healthy digestive system is balance in the gut microflora. Probiotics play an important role in maintaining a healthy balance.

This past January, JUS by Julie, Brooklyn, N.Y. (jusbyjulie.com), launched Probiotic Cold Brew Coffee, a cold brew coffee infused with probiotics. The beverage includes 1 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) of GanedenBC³⁰ (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) to support immune and digestive health. Studies have shown that GanedenBC³⁰, which is produced by Ganeden, Cleveland, Ohio (ganedenprobiotics.com, ganedenBC30.com), can reduce abdominal pain, bloating, and postprandial gas, and enhance utilization of nutrients, including protein.

GanedenBC³⁰ is unique in that it is highly stable and can remain viable through processing, shelf life, and the low pH of stomach acid. Its efficacy is backed by 17 published studies.

One such study showed that daily consumption of GanedenBC³⁰ by adults can increase beneficial groups of bacteria in the human gut and potentially increase production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (Nyangale et al. 2015). The study also showed the potential benefits of a probiotic to improve dysbiosis, a microbial imbalance in the body, via modulation of the microbiota in older people. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, 36 men and women aged 65–80 consumed one treatment capsule per day (placebo or probiotic) for 28 days, followed by a 21-day washout period before switching to the other treatment. The results showed that consumption of GanedenBC³⁰ significantly increased populations of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii more than consumption of the placebo. The populations of Bacillus species increased significantly from baseline in the subjects who consumed GanedenBC³⁰. There was also an increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 28 days after the subjects consumed the probiotic.

DuPont Nutrition & Health, Madison, Wis. (www.dupont.com, www.food.dupont.com), offers a wide range of digestive health ingredients, including probiotics, prebiotics, and dietary fiber, to help keep the gut microflora in balance, improve colonic transit, and generally maintain a healthy digestive system. HOWARU Premium Probiotics include HOWARU Dophilus for gut health benefits, HOWARU Bifido for modulation of the intestinal microflora and improved transit time, and HOWARU Rhamnosus, an immune-modulating strain. Clinical studies back the role of HOWARU Bifido in supporting digestion by reducing transit time (the time it takes food to be swallowed, digested, absorbed, and excreted).

DuPont Nutrition & Health also offers HOWARU Restore, a blend of five probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. paracasei, two Bifidobacterium lactis strains, and B. bifidum) clinically documented to rapidly maintain and restore overall gut microflora and bifidobacteria levels after gut stress, such as antibiotic treatment, travel, poor diet, and a hectic lifestyle. In a clinical study, a group of volunteers subject to gut stress received a daily dose of HOWARU Restore (DuPont 2016). The results showed that beneficial bacteria were quickly restored to pre-stress levels and the entire gut microflora returned more rapidly to normal.

According to DuPont, bifidobacteria are of particular interest to scientists as they are often the most abundant bacteria found in the feces of breast-fed infants. There is general consensus that they are the primary reason for breast-fed infants’ greater resistance to disease compared to formula-fed infants. In adults, bifidobacteria also remain a major component of the intestinal microflora. Lactobacilli are part of the natural microflora in the gut and urogenital tract. Studies have shown that ingestion of specific probiotic lactobacilli can help strengthen the immune system and reduce intestinal disorders.

Dietary Fiber and Prebiotics
Prebiotics resist digestion and help promote the presence of healthy bacteria in the gut. In addition to digestive health, prebiotics also aid in nutrient absorption, particularly calcium. Several types of prebiotics and dietary fiber ingredients are available.

• Inulin. Orafti Inulin from BENEO, Morris Plains, N.J. (beneo.com), is extracted from chicory root, making it 100% vegetable origin. It has been shown to improve digestive health by stimulating bowel function in a natural and mild manner. As a prebiotic, it helps to foster the growth of Bifidus bacteria in the large intestine.

In January, BENEO announced that the European Union Commission authorized a health claim for BENEO’s chicory root fiber inulin in promoting digestive health. The official wording for the claim is, “chicory inulin contributes to normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency.” The science behind this health claim included six human intervention studies that have consistently proven that consumption of Orafti Inulin increases stool frequency and thus supports digestive health. Significant results were demonstrated with a proprietary study for a total intake of 12 g inulin/day.

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• Galactomannan. Sunfiber from Taiyo International, Minneapolis, Minn. (taiyointernational.com), is a galacto-mannan-based soluble dietary fiber made from hydrolyzed guar gum. It promotes intestinal and colon health, aids in the transit of food through the intestines, and assists weight control by providing a satiety effect. Sunfiber promotes the absorption of essential minerals and helps the body combat increased blood glucose levels by controlling the glycemic index of foods.

In February, Taiyo announced that Health Canada approved health claims for Sunfiber related to its effectiveness in treating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as its ability to relieve intestinal issues related to childhood constipation. The approvals are supported by 29 published clinical studies. Taiyo is also pursuing similar qualified health claims for IBS in the United States and Europe. Sunfiber already has approved structure/function health claims in the United States.

In people with IBS, a 5 g serving of Sunfiber may help to improve bowel regularity; relieve constipation and gastrointestinal discomfort; reduce the frequency of bowel irregularity and abdominal discomfort, including flatulence, bloating, dyspepsia, and altered bowel habits; and relieve bowel irregularity, bloating, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The Health Canada claim allows Taiyo to claim that Sunfiber helps to improve intestinal regularity in children, provides a gentle relief of constipation in children, and helps to improve bowel regularity. This is based on results of 14 clinical studies for constipation, seven for diarrhea, and eight for IBS symptoms, including regularity, abdominal pain, gas, and bloating.

• Resistant Wheat Starch. Fibersym RW from MGP Ingredients, Atchison, Kan. (mgpingredients.com), is a resistant wheat starch that delivers a minimum of 85% total dietary fiber (AOAC Method 991.43). Research shows that Fibersym RW, which acts like a prebiotic fiber, can aid in digestive health, assist in weight management and the management of blood glucose levels, reduce calories, and lower cholesterol levels. In a study conducted at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Fibersym RW was formulated into snack crackers to determine the effect on gut health. Daily consumption of the crackers for three weeks showed a significant increase of bifidobacteria, indicating a prebiotic effect (MGP 2016).

• Oligosaccharides. NUTRAFLORA prebiotic fiber from Ingredion, Westchester, Ill. (ingredion.com), helps to increase the level of good bacteria in the gut and is scientifically proven to support digestive health. NUTRAFLORA, a short-chain fructooligosaccharide, is derived from pure sugar cane utilizing a proprietary biofermentation process and ingredients that are not genetically modified. It is 30% as sweet as sugar and it has a similar sweetness profile to sugar, but with fewer calories. The company also offers NUTRIOSE soluble fiber, which is proven to have a positive effect on digestive health while providing satiety and weight management benefits.

• Maltodextrin. Fibersol-2 digestion-resistant maltodextrin from ADM/Matsutani, Decatur, Ill. (fibersol.com), is a soluble corn fiber that acts as a low-calorie bulking agent. It contains 90% dietary fiber. The ingredient is a spray-dried powder produced by a proprietary method of controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstarch. It has numerous starch linkages that remain undigested by enzymes in the human digestive tract. It can be used in many food applications to increase the fiber content. It can also affect intestinal health positively by fostering the growth of beneficial bacteria and/or promoting laxation. Finally, Fibersol-2 has been shown to help maintain intestinal regularity while being gentler in producing fermentation off-gas and GI discomfort compared to other added fibers.

• Polydextrose. Litesse polydextrose from DuPont Nutrition & Health functions as a prebiotic in that it is a nondigestible food ingredient that passes into the colon where it is partially fermented. It then selectively stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria, helping to improve digestive health. Litesse is a highly branched polymer of glucose. Its unique arrangement of glycosidic linkages makes it resistant to hydrolysis by human digestive enzymes. Because it is not metabolized by the body, Litesse contributes an energy value of just 1 kcal/g. A number of published clinical studies have concluded that polydextrose offers numerous digestive health benefits, including significantly improved bowel function with no adverse side effects; development of a favorable intestinal microflora; increased production of short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, through microbial fermentation in the colon; decreased colonic pH; and reduced glucose absorption from the small intestine.

Dairy Foods
Probiotics and prebiotics are often married together in food and beverage products because prebiotics can promote the growth of probiotics. Dairy foods, particularly yogurt products, are one example of where these two ingredients can be found.

An article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety reviewed the benefits associated with dairy foods on health conditions such as cardiometabolic, cognitive, bone, and digestive health (Hess et al. 2016). The authors drew from recent research conducted on the associations of dairy food components with these conditions in cross-sectional and intervention studies.

According to the authors, a literature search in PubMed with the key words “digestive health” and “dairy” yielded no results for studies relating overall digestive health to dairy products in lactase persistent human populations. However, dairy foods, especially fermented products, contain prebiotics and probiotics that contribute to improved gut health through promotion of diversity and modulation of intestinal bacteria. The authors noted that although most prebiotics are plant-derived, milk also contains prebiotic compounds. Galactooligosaccha-rides (GOS) are naturally present in small amounts in all mammalian milks and are also produced commercially for use as functional ingredients. In 2001, the European Commission Scientific Committee on Food approved a mixture of GOS and fructooligosaccharides for use in infant formula to mimic the beneficial prebiotic effects of the GOS present in breast milk.

Next month’s Nutraceuticals section will provide a preview of some of the ingredient suppliers exhibiting at IFT16 in Chicago, July 17–19.

www.ift.org
Members Only: Read more about ingredients for digestive health online at ift.org. Type the keywords into the search box at the upper right side of the home page.

Linda Milo Ohr,
Contributing Editor
Denver, Colo.
[email protected]

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