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Dosage-Related Prebiotic Effects of Inulin in Formula-Fed Infants
Hanifah Oswari1,2, Ariani Dewi Widodo2, Frieda Handayani2
1Department of Child Health, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Insights
The optimal inulin dosage for a prebiotic effect in Indonesian infants is 0.4 g/100 mL. This dosage increased beneficial gut bacteria (Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli) and decreased fecal pH.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in infant health.
- Prebiotics, like inulin, can modulate the gut microbiota.
- Understanding optimal prebiotic dosage is essential for infant formula development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the minimum effective dose of inulin for a prebiotic effect in Indonesian infants.
- To evaluate the impact of different inulin concentrations on infant gut microbiota composition and fecal parameters.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled double-blinded trial involving 142 healthy formula-fed infants aged 3-5 months.
- Infants received formula with 0, 0.2, or 0.4 g/100 mL inulin for 4 weeks.
- Fecal samples analyzed for Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, pH, and stool consistency using qPCR.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences in fecal microbiota composition were observed between groups due to data distribution.
- However, within the group receiving 0.4 g/100 mL inulin, significant increases in Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, and a decrease in fecal pH were noted.
- Significant differences in fecal pH were found between the no-inulin group and both inulin groups.
Conclusions:
- A consistent prebiotic effect, characterized by increased Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli and decreased fecal pH, was achieved with 0.4 g inulin/100 mL.
- This dosage represents the minimally effective concentration for inducing a prebiotic effect in the studied infant population.
- Further research may explore the long-term implications and broader applicability of these findings.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to identify the minimally meaningful dosage of inulin leading to a prebiotic effect in Indonesian infants.
Methods:
In a randomized controlled double-blinded, parallel, 3-arm intervention study, 164 healthy formula-fed infants aged 3 to 5 months first obtained formula-A (without inulin) during a 4-week adaptation period. Subsequently, 142 subjects were subjected to a 4-week feeding period by administering either formula-A (no inulin), formula-B (0.2 g/100 mL inulin) or formula-C (0.4 g/100 mL inulin). The primary outcome parameter was %-bifidobacteria in faecal samples determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Secondary outcome parameters were faecal %-lactobacilli, pH and stool frequency, and consistency. Growth and tolerance/adverse effects were recorded as safety parameters.
Results:
Typical %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli at the end of the adaptation period in the study population were 14% and 2%, respectively. For faecal pH, significant differences between formula groups A vs. C and A vs. B were found at the end of the intervention period. Testing for differences in faecal %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli between groups was hampered by non-normal data set distributions; no statistically significant differences were obtained. Comparisons within groups revealed that only in formula group C, all the three relevant parameters exhibited a significant effect with an increase in faecal %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli and a decrease in pH.
Conclusion:
A consistent prebiotic effect along with a decrease in pH and increase in %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli was found only in the group administered 0.4 g inulin/100 mL.
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