Abstract
In order to evaluate the effect of non-digestible oligosaccharides with different properties on calcium and magnesium metabolism, six Wistar male rats (3 wk) in each group were raised on 10% of fructooligosaccharide (FOS), lactulose (LAT), galactosylsucrose (GS) or isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) containing diets instead of sucrose for 6 week, and the balance study of Ca and Mg was carried out for 3 days at 6th week after the start of experiment. Mild restricted feeding of diet was carried out to be equal quantity of diet for all groups every day. Intestinal absorption, urinary excretion, retention, and femoral bone content of Ca and Mg, and urinary deoxypyridinoline excretion were measured. Intestinal absorption and femoral bone contents of Ca and Mg were significantly higher in FOS and LAT groups than in the control group, and that of GS group was lower than that of FOS and LAT groups. IMO group was similar to the control group. These results suggest that the intestinal absorption of Ca and Mg depends on the quantity of oligosaccharide which reaches the large intestine, that is to be concerned with the digestibility of oligosaccharide. Therefore, the effect on Ca and Mg absorption from gastrointestinal tract was the greatest in non-digestible FOS and LAT groups, greater in partly digestible GS group and the lowest in digestible IMO group among 4 groups.
