Prebiotic Oligofructose

After we ingest oligofructose in any form it reaches the colon unchanged and the bifidobacteria helps in the metabolism of oligofructose. The prebiotic effect of oligofructose leads to the better health of flora in the gut and facilitates feeding up the beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract. Prebiotics are widely available in many foodstuffs like cereal, bread, flavored water, baby milk, yogurt, etc. Prebiotics are also accessible to be added with various foodstuffs because storage is not a problem for the prebiotics as compared to the 'live' products.

Besides improving the beneficial bacteria level the prebiotic effects of oligofructose are considered to enhance the calcium absorption for bone strength. Normally besides our regular diet 5 g of prebiotics everyday is needed for us to boost the bifidobacteria action. According to some eminent nutritionist consuming prebiotic supplement or eating foods which have prebiotics is very good for the general health.

In long-term studies, the prebiotic effect of oligofructose improved NK cell function in Peyer's patches in the lymphatic system and splenocytes or the WBC available in spleen, in general suggesting improved intrinsic immunity not only systematically but also locally in the gut. The prebiotics also enhances the response to the vaccinations.

The wellbeing and the general health are regularly confronting the challenges by the pathogens. There are various defense methods present to safeguard our health from the harmful pathogens invasion, with a significant role to act for our intestinal bacterial flora (mostly by lactobacilli and bifidobacteria).

There are several studies that prove the prebiotic effect of oligofructose on the translocation and colonization of the pathogens and the defense of intestinal diseases. The experiments done in vitro have confirmed that the bacteria produce lactic acid that has opposite or antagonistic function against the pathogens partially because of generation of organic acids as the end product of oligofructose fermentation.

Moreover, reports generated on the basis of studies conducted with epithelial layers have proved that oligofructose prevents pathogen colonization, and the end products or the outcomes of the fermentation of oligofructose have the capacity to augment the barrier function. Several studies have been conducted on animals which also prove that oligofructose hasten the revival of helpful bacteria, reduce the growth of the pathogens by reducing systemic translocation, and pathogen colonization.

Lastly the data from the studies conducted on human volunteers with intestinal disorders reveal that oligofructose refurbish the balance when the concentration of microbes in the gut is changed, prevent the progression of the disorder or disease or safeguard it from deterioration.

The use of oligofructose provides an encouraging approach for restoring microbial communities as well as in sustaining epithelial barrier performance with its prebiotic effect. This prebiotic effect of oligofructose will provide the host defense against the translocation and invasion of the exogenous or endogenous pathogens and prevents the gastrointestinal disorders.