Intake of Polydextrose Alters Hematology and the Profile of Short Chain Fatty Acids in Partially Gastrectomized Rats.

Polydextrose (PDX) ingestion may increase the intestinal absorption of iron. This study evaluated the effects of 7.5% polydextrose supplementation on markers of iron uptake, transport and storage in partially gastrectomized rats. Half of a batch of 40 male Wistar rats (250 g) underwent Billroth II partial gastrectomy with anterior truncal vagotomy (GXT), while the other half underwent sham gastrectomy (SHAM). At 7 postoperative days, the animals were subdivided into four groups (n = 10): Sham Control and GXT Control (no polydextrose); Sham PDX and GXT PDX (with 7.5% PDX). The animals were euthanized after 60 day of PDX treatment. Organ weight, cecal pH, the characterization and quantification of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), hematological parameters, hepatic iron content and the expression of ferroportin (FPT) in the jejunum, cecum, colon and liver were evaluated. PDX caused changes in the cecum of the supplemented animals, where there was a decrease in pH, increase in cecal wall and marked production of SCFA, especially acetic and propionic acids (p < 0.05). Hepatic iron levels were lower in GXT animals. PDX increased hemoglobin (HGB) values by 29.2% and hematocrit (HCT) by 55.8% in the GXT PDX group compared to the GXT Control group. The GXT PDX group had lower hepatic FPT expression (p < 0.05). PDX led to increased SCFA concentration in the supplemented animals. Considering that SCFAs play a central role in the increasing nutrients uptake, this mechanism may be involved in altering the hematology profile observed in these animals but not enough to reverse iron deficiency anemia in post-gastrectomy rats.

Polydextrose: Physiological Function, and Effects on Health.

Polydextrose (PDX) is a non-digestible oligosaccharide used widely across most sectors of the food industry. It is a randomly linked glucose oligomer containing small amounts of sorbitol and citric acid. The random bonds in PDX prevent mammalian digestive enzymes from readily hydrolyzing the molecule and it has a reported energy value of 1 kcal/g. These properties have led to the acceptance in many countries that PDX provides similar physiological effects as other dietary fibers and has shown prebiotic potential. Dietary intervention with prebiotics has been shown to selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of intestinal bacteria associated with several physiological benefits on health. Therefore, the objective of this review was a survey of the literature on the effect of supplementation with PDX in health, and to list the benefits for maintaining health and/or reducing the development of diseases.