HEALTHY CHOICES -
READ ABOUT FOS

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fructooligosaccharide -- Say it fast, 3 times!

Following is more than you probably want to know about fructooligosaccharide. The IMPORTANT thing to know about FOS is that it is an excellent fuel for one of the major GOOD BACTERIA found in our gut. FOS is food for bifidobacteria - AND it is safe to use.

You can find FOS in many health food and supplement stores. It is usually sold as a powder and you are instructed to use about an eighth of a teaspoonful per day. That works very well but we find that we want to avoid the chore of measuring the powder and mixing it with some food or drink. Instead, we have packed the FOS into a capsule - ONE DAILY is all we need - along with our Florajen 3. You can order FOS from us and we’ll pack it into capsules - just like we do for ourselves. In this short space I can’t begin to describe all the benefits we derive from taking both the the Florajen 3 and the FOS.  FOS is sometimes referred to as INULIN.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BIFIDOBACTERIA

Bifidobacteria are the most predominating intestinal flora in infants. (Modler, H.W., BIFIDOGENIC FACTORS).   Florajen 3 provides this important probiotic.

Because bifidobacteria are resistant to bile (Rao et al, 1989), they may have a better chance of colonizing the gut and delivering their lactose-metabolizing enzyme to its site of action over an extended period of time. Compounds such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are not metabolized by humans and can serve as a source of energy for intestinal organisms such as bifidobacteria. (Modler, H.W., COMPOUNDS WHICH ENHANCE THE GROWTH OF PROBIOTIC BACTERIA)

Jerusalem artichokes (JAT) are an excellent source of fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Fresh artichokes contain approximately 18-20% solids, of which 70-80% is FOS.  A lot of commercially available FOS comes from Jerusalem artichokes.
 

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(Tissier, 1906) believed that the bifidobacteria displaced putrefactive bacteria which are responsible for gastric upset while reestablishing themselves as the dominant intestinal organism.

FOS is not digested and absorbed by humans. While most FOS passes through the body unabsorbed, the principal utilization pathway for the remainder is via metabolism by intestinal microorganisms to form carbon dioxide and organic acids. The effects of FOS on intestinal bacteria and human health were recently reported by Hidaka et al and showed that these substances were selectively used by the bifidobacteria.  (Fishbein, L., Kaplan, M., Gough, M., FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES: A REVIEW)

Children with high numbers of bifidobacteria resist some enteric infections very effectively (Bullen and Willis, 1971). In fact, the feeding of bifidobacteria-containing dairy products has been used to treat these infections in Japanese children with success. (Tojo et al., 1987)

Compared to children and adults, the elderly have lower counts of bifidobacteria. As bifidobacteria numbers drop, there is a corresponding increase in the numbers of Clostridium perfringens detected in the elderly (Mitsuoka, 1989). C. perfringens produces a lot of undesirable substances including toxins and volatile amines. Adults who were fed products containing high level of viable bifidobacteria over a five-week period demonstrated substantial decreases in Clostridium counts as well as an increase in bifidobacterium counts. (Tanaka et al, 1980)

Bifidobacteria are known to exhibit inhibitory effects on many pathogenic organisms both in vivo and in vitro, including Salmonella, Shigella, Clostridium, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Campylobacter jejuni. (Anand et al., 1985; Tojo et al., 1987; Tomoda et al, 1988)

In the human large intestine, bifidobacteria make vitamins that are slowly absorbed in the body. Bifidobacteria are known to produce thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamins B6 and K. Bifidus products may be a good source of B-complex vitamins, since bifidobacteria synthesize and export extra-cellularly up to 120.3 ug B vitamins/100 mL (Mutai, 1978). Bifidobacteria can also synthesize amino acids for absorption in the gut (Matteuzzi et al., 1978). Adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract with Bifido bifidum enhances nitrogen retention while resulting in a 400% increase of vitamin B6 content in stools. In addition, the acidification of fermented dairy products by bifidobacteria and their slight proteolytic activity may help to increase the amount of calcium absorbed by the body as well as improve digestibility. (Rasic 1989)

Bifidobacteria are also believed to have anti-carcinogenic (Mitsuoka, 1982) and anti-cholesterolemic (Hata et al., 1982) properties.

Acetic and lactic acids produced from catabolism of carbon sources lower intestinal pH inhibiting unfavorable bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens that produce toxins and can cause enteritis. The acids also reduce absorption of ammonia and amines which, if they are absorbed, lead to increase in blood pressure, cholesterol and levels of cancer-causing nitrosamines. Therefore, intestinal propagation of bifidobacteria is not only important for preventing bacterial diseases such as E. coli scours in infants but for improving the health of adults, particularly the elderly. In addition, bifidobacteria provide vitamins B complex and stimulate intestinal immunity.

The effects of FOS on blood glucose and serum lipids in diabetic subjects were reported by Yamashita et al. Daily intake of 8.0 g/day of fructooligosaccharides for 14 days significantly reduced mean fasting blood glucose levels by 15 mg/dl, mean serum total cholesterol levels by 19 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol levels by 17 mg/dl in 18 diabetic subjects.

I think all of the good news about bifidobacteria indicates that we can all benefit by having it in our GI tract.  The Florajen will put it there so I take it every day.  The FOS has been shown over and over again to be an excellent, safe *FOOD* for the bifidobacteria.  So, it stands to reason that we should also consume sufficient FOS to keep our good bifidobacteria healthy and thriving.  If you don't have a regular, affordable source of Jerusalem artichokes you might want to consider using a high grade FOS supplement.  You can get it from The Compounder as a powder or in a capsule form.

Click here to Order FOS from The Compounder