New study on children shows fibre supplement changes gut bacteria

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A couple of teaspoons of a fibre supplement, taken daily, has produced some exciting results that will help children with overweight or obesity maintain a healthier weight and prevent many diseases caused by obesity.

This is the first time a study using a prebiotic fibre was performed on children to improve their intestinal bacteria profile. The results were published this week in the high-impact journal Gastroenterology.

A couple of teaspoons of a fibre supplement, taken daily, has produced some exciting results that will help children with overweight or obesity maintain a healthier weight and prevent many diseases caused by obesity.

This is the first time a study using a prebiotic fibre was performed on children to improve their intestinal bacteria profile. The results were published this week in the high-impact journal Gastroenterology.

“Powdered fibre, mixed in a water bottle, taken once a day is the simple change we asked the children to do and we got what we consider some pretty exciting results — it has been fantastic,” says Raylene Reimer, PhD, professor and researcher at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology, who led the study.

Children who are overweight or obese, recruited for the study, were given a prebiotic fibre, oligofructose-enriched inulin, for 16 weeks and another group of children took a placebo.

 

Continue reading at University of Calgary.

Photo via University of Calgary.