Moderate intakes of soluble corn fibre or inulin do not cause gastrointestinal discomfort and are well tolerated in healthy children

Abstract

We investigated the gastrointestinal (GI) tolerance of soluble corn fibre (SCF) compared with inulin in children 3–9 years old. SCF (3–8 g/d for 10d) was tolerated as well as inulin: no differences were identified in stool frequency and consistency, proportion of subjects with at least one loose stool or reporting symptoms during bowel movement. Compared to inulin, 6 g/d of SCF lowered gas severity in children aged 3–5 years old. No differences were noted for alpha and beta diversity, relative abundance of Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Ruminococcaceae, or the Firmicutes to Bacteroidota ratio. Relative abundance of some specific strains (i.e. Anaerostipes, Bifidobacterium, Fusicatenibacter, Parabacteroides) varied depending on the fibre type and dose level. Fortification at a level of 6–8 g/d of SCF and/or inulin could help addressing the fibre gap without any GI discomfort.

Keywords:

• Soluble corn fibre
• clinical trial
• microbiome
• children
• inulin
• gastrointestinal tolerance

Author contribution

Conceptualisation, MK, KK, EM, TMB, LD; methodology, MK, KK, EM, TMB, LD; formal analysis, EM, TMB, LD; investigation, EM, TMB, LD; resources, KK; data curation, EM, TMB, LD, DR, MK, IL; writing—original draft preparation, MK; writing—review and editing, DR, IL, KK; visualisation, EM, DR; supervision, KK; project administration, MK, DR; funding acquisition, KK. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

DR, MK, IL, and KK are Tate & Lyle employees and contributed to the study design, data interpretation, to write the manuscript and in the decision to publish the results.

Data availability statement

The data presented in this study are available in the article or in the supplementary material.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Tate & Lyle PLC.