In vitro fermentation of carbohydrate by breast fed and formula fed infants
Department
of Human Nutrition, Glasgow University, Glasgow
Correspondence to: Dr Christine Edwards, Department of Human Nutrition, Yorkhill Hospitals, Glasgow G3 8SJ.
Accepted 4 November 1996
Unabsorbed carbohydrates are fermented by colonic bacteria to
short chain fatty acids (SCFA) which are rapidly absorbed, salvaging energy and reducing stool output. There are marked differences between the faecal flora and SCFA of breast fed (BF) and formula fed (FF) infants which may be related to the higher incidence of
diarrhoea in FF infants. Part of this effect may be caused by a
difference in the ability of the microflora to ferment carbohydrate. To
test the hypothesis that BF and FF have different fermentation capacities for simple and complex carbohydrates, in vitro cultures of
faeces from healthy infants (2-10 weeks; 11 BF, 11 FF) containing glucose, lactose, raftilose (a fructo-oligosaccharide), or soybean polysaccharide were incubated anaerobically. Results were compared with
those of adult faecal cultures using the same carbohydrates. Cultures
of faeces from BF and FF infants produced comparable amounts of total
SCFA in all cultures. These cultures produced less SCFA than those from
adult faeces and produced very little SCFA from complex carbohydrate.
BF cultures produced more acetic acid than FF in all cultures, whereas
FF cultures produced more propionate with sugars and more butyrate with
raftilose. Both groups of infants produced less butyrate than adults in
all cultures. Thus it is unlikely that a lower ability to ferment
carbohydrate is a major cause of increased risk of diarrhoea in FF fed
infants but individual SCFA production may be important.
© 1997 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Wolin, M. J., Yerry, S., Miller, T. L., Zhang, Y., Bank, S.
(1998). Changes in Production of Ethanol, Acids and H2 from Glucose by the Fecal Flora of a 16- to 158-d-Old Breast-Fed Infant. J. Nutr.
128: 85-90
[Abstract] [Full Text]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in ADC Online
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
Infant nutrition (including breastfeeding)
-
Childhood nutrition
-
Reproductive medicine
-
Child health
- Diarrhoea
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
