Effects of New Dietary Fiber from Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) on Gut Function and Intestinal Microflora in Adult Mice

Much attention has been focused recently on functional foods. Ume, the Japanese name for the apricot of Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc., is an example of a Japanese traditional functional food. There are, however, few reports on the effects of fiber from this fruit on bowel function. With this objective, we prepared ume fiber to test the hypothesis that it can change gut function and intestinal flora in mice. Mice were fed an ume fiber (UF) or cellulose (CF) diet (control) for 40 days. The fecal weight, fecal lipids, plasma lipids and cecal composition of the microflora were analyzed. The amount of feces was significantly greater in the UF group than in the CF group (p < 0.01). The fecal lipids content (% DW) of the feces sampled on the final day of the experiment were significantly greater in the UF group than in the CF group (p < 0.01). Plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations tended to be lower in the UF compared to the CF group (p = 0.058). Occupation ratios of Bacteroides and Clostridium cluster IV were significantly greater in the cecal flora of the UF group. Our results suggest that ume fiber possesses the fecal lipid excretion effects and feces bulking effects

Effects of plant food potassium salts (citrate galacturonate or tartrate) on acid–base status and digestive fermentations in rats

Potassium (K) organic anion salts, such as potassium citrate or potassium malate in plant foods, may counteract low-grade metabolic acidosis induced by western diets, but little is known about the effect of other minor plant anions. Effects of K salts (chloride, citrate, galacturonate or tartrate) were thus studied on the mineral balance and digestive fermentations in groups of 6-week-old rats adapted to an acidogenic/5 % inulin diet. In all diet groups, substantial amounts of lactate and succinate were present in the caecum, besides SCFA. SCFA were poorly affected by K salts conditions. The KCl-supplemented diet elicited an accumulation of lactate in the caecum; whereas the lactate caecal pool was low in rats fed the potassium tartrate-supplemented (K TAR) diet. A fraction of tartrate (around 50 %) was recovered in urine of rats fed the K TAR diet. Potassium citrate and potassium galacturonate diets exerted a marked alkalinizing effect on urine pH and promoted a notable citraturia (around 0·5 μmol/24 h). All the K organic anion salts counteracted Ca and Mg hyperexcretion in urine, especially potassium tartrate as to magnesuria. The present findings indicate that K salts of unabsorbed organic anions exert alkalinizing effects when metabolizable in the large intestine, even if K and finally available anions (likely SCFA) are not simultaneously bioavailable. Whether this observation is also relevant for a fraction of SCFA arising from dietary fibre breakdown (which represents the major organic anions absorbed in the digestive tract in man) deserves further investigation

Effects of a soluble dietary fibre NUTRIOSE® on colonic fermentation and excretion rates in rats

The resistant dextrin NUTRIOSE®, developed from starch, is expected to act as a prebiotic. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of NUTRIOSE® on cecal parameters, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, and fecal excretion in rats. In an initial experiment, twenty-four male Fischer F344 rats were randomly assigned to one of the following four treatments for 14 days: G0 (control diet), G2.5 (control diet + 2.5% of dextrin), G5 (control diet + 5% of dextrin), and G10 (control diet + 10% of dextrin). After 14 days, total cecal weight, cecal content, and cecal wall weight were significantly increased in G5 and G10 compared to G0. At the same time, cecal pH was significantly lower in G10 compared to G0. Total SCFA concentration was significantly higher in G10 than in G5, G2.5, and G0, and significantly higher in G5 than in G0. Acetate, butyrate, and propionate concentrations were significantly increased in G5 and G10 compared to the controls. In a second trial based on a similar design, eighteen male Fischer F344 rats were treated with a control diet supplemented with 5% of dextrin or 5% of fructo-oligosaccharide. The results obtained with NUTRIOSE® were similar to those obtained with the fructo-oligosaccharide. In a third experiment, two groups of 5 Fischer F344 rats were orally treated with 100 and 1,000 mg/kg NUTRIOSE®, respectively, and from 18% to 25% of the dextrin was excreted in the feces. The results of these three studies show that the consumption of NUTRIOSE®, by its effects on total cecal weight, cecal content, cecal wall weight, pH, and SCFA production, could induce healthy benefits since these effects are reported to be prebiotic effects

Effect of potassium salts in rats adapted to an acidogenic high-sulfur amino acid diet

Low-grade metabolic acidosis, consecutive to excessive catabolism of sulfur amino acids and a high dietary Na:K ratio, is a common feature of Western food habits. This metabolic alteration may exert various adverse physiological effects, especially on bone, muscle and kidneys. To assess the actual effects of various K salts, a model of the Westernised diet has been developed in rats: slight protein excess (20 % casein); cations provided as non-alkalinising salts; high Na:K ratio. This diet resulted in acidic urine (pH 5·5) together with a high rate of divalent cation excretion in urine, especially Mg. Compared with controls, K supplementation as KCl accentuated Ca excretion, whereas potassium bicarbonate or malate reduced Mg and Ca excretion and alkalinised urine pH (up to 8). In parallel, citraturia was strongly increased, together with 2-ketoglutarate excretion, by potassium bicarbonate or malate in the diet. Basal sulfate excretion, in the range of 1 mmol/d, was slightly enhanced in rats fed the potassium malate diet. The present model of low-grade metabolic acidosis indicates that potassium malate may be as effective as KHCO3 to counteract urine acidification, to limit divalent cation excretion and to ensure high citrate concentration in urine

Urea cycling and ammonia absorption in vivo in the digestive tract of the rat

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Effects of undernutrition during late pregnancy on gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis in twin-pregnant ewes

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Fetal and postnatal metabolism in the calf

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