2021 Volume 3 Issue 5 Pages 281-290
Objective: The aim of this prospective observational study was to compare the effects of a formula containing pectin as dietary fibers and peptides as a source of amino acids (HINE E-GEL®: HE) and the effect of a formula containing guar gum as dietary fibers and proteins as a source of amino acids (polymeric formula: PF) on gut microbiota in patients using a proton pump inhibitors (PPI).
Subjects and Methods: We selected 26 patients who had been receiving intragastric tube feeding with a PPI for at least 2 weeks after the onset of stroke. They were divided into two groups to receive either HE (n=12) or PF (n=14). The composition of the fecal microbiota and the fecal metabolc products were evaluated using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism(T-RFLP) analysis before and after enteral nutrition.
Results: There was a significant decrease in Clostridium cluster XI bacteria in both the HE and PF groups after observation period of 2 weeks. SCFA tended to be higher, while the fecal pH tended to be lower, in the HE group compared with the PF group.
Conclusion: These results indicate that dietary fiber-containing enteral nutrition plays a role in the suppression of Clostoridioides difficile infection in patients in the acute stage of stroke who use a PPI. The findings also suggest that HE maintains a lower pH environment beneficial for gut microbiota compared with PF.
