Prebiotic effects of fermentable carbohydrate polymers may be modulated by faecal bulking of non‐fermentable polysaccharides in the large bowel of rats

Abstract

SummaryThis study investigated the impact of supplementary fermentable polysaccharides inulin (a prebiotic) and barley β‐glucan on the large bowel, when consumed against a background high or low intake of mixed non‐starch polysaccharide. Rats were fed for 28 days with diets containing high (15%) and low (5%) background dietary fibre (BDF; cellulose plus sugar beet fibre), with or without 5% supplementary fermentable fibre (SFF; inulin or barley β‐glucan). High‐BDF diets unsupplemented with inulin or barley β‐glucan caused greater improvement than supplemented low‐BDF diets in several parameters linked to gut health: they increased colonic Bifidobacterium spp., butyric acid concentration in the caecum, and colonic crypt depth more than inulin and barley β‐glucan. For these parameters, inulin and barley β‐glucan added little to the effects of the high‐BDF diet alone. Furthermore, by allowing for dilution due to the greater faecal bulk induced by the mixed fibre compared with inulin or barley β‐glucan, the total quantity of butyric acid in the colon of BDF‐fed rats was greatly amplified. Interpretation of the effects of prebiotics in diets containing dietary fibre requires concurrent analysis of the multiple effects of non‐fermentable bulk.