Title: Dosage-related bifidogenic effects of galacto- and fructooligosaccharides in formula-fed term infants
| Authors: | G.Moro, I Minoli, M Mosca, G Boehm |
| Published: | 2002 |
| Journal: | Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition |
Prebiotics found in human milk have been shown to stimulate selectively the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the gut. This study focused on assessing the bifidogenic effect of a prebiotic oligosaccharide mixture of galacto-oligosaccharides and fructo-oligosaccharides in 90 term infants. The test infant formulas were supplemented with either 0.4 g/dL or with 0.8 g/dL oligosaccharides. In the control formula, maltodextrin was used as placebo. Results showed that supplementation of a term infant’s formula with a mixture of galacto- and fructooligosaccharides has a dose-dependent stimulating effect on the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the intestine and results in softer stool with increasing dosage of supplementation.