Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2007
Non-digestible oligosaccharides such as inulin and oligofructose have been shown to consistently increase calcium absorption in experimental animals, but data in humans are less clear-cut. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of 8 g/d of oligofructose or a mixture of inulin and oligofructose on calcium absorption in girls at or near menarche. A total of fifty-nine subjects were studied using a balanced, randomized, cross-over design. They received, in random order, 8 g/d placebo (sucrose), oligofructose or the mixture inulin+oligofructose for 3 weeks, separated by a 2-week washout period. Throughout the study, subjects consumed a total of approximately 1500 mg/d dietary calcium, by adding two glasses of calcium-fortified orange juice to their diet. Four grams of placebo, oligofructose or the mixture inulin+oligofructose was added to each glass of orange juice immediately before it was consumed. At the end of each 3-week adaptation period, calcium absorption was measured, using a dual stable isotope technique, from the cumulative fractional excretion of an oral and an intravenous tracer over 48 hours. Calcium absorption was significantly higher in the group receiving the inulin+oligofructose mixture than in the placebo group (38·2±9·8 % v. 32·3±9·8 %; P=0·01), but no significant difference was seen between the oligofructose group and the placebo group (31·8±9·3 % v. 31·8±10·0 %, P=NS). We conclude that modest intakes of an inulin+oligofructose mixture increases calcium absorption in girls at or near menarche.
Supported in part with federal funds from the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-6250-6-001. This work is a publication of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas. Contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the USDA, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This study was funded, in part, by ORAFTI, Tienen, Belgium.