There are hundreds of different types of microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal system.

There are hundreds of different types of microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal system. Colonic microflora have a profound influence on their host's health. Their population levels depend on their host's diet.

One of the predominant culturable probiotic bacterial groups in the human colon is known to be bifidobacteria. Prebiotic oligosaccharides, including galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), are able to stimulate the growth of these probiotic strains. It is not clear how GOS and other oligosaccharides affect certain intestinal bacterial growth.

But now researchers have shown that GOS can provide the highest specific growth rate for probiotic bacteria. Among the oligosaccharides they tested, GOS had the best prebiotic effects, supporting the highest bifidobacterial growth and butyric acid production. Their research confirms the different prebiotic effects of GOS and several other commercially available oligosaccharides.

Contact: Shang-Tian Yang, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 125 Koffolt Laboratories, 140 West 19th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Email: [e-mail].