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The use of “PHARMACOKINETICS” in Just Like Sugar®

Little digestion of inulins takes place in the stomach and small intestine following ingestion of inulins. Inulins are fermented in the colon by bifidobacteria and some other bacteria to produce the short-chain fatty acids acetate, propionate and butyrate; the gases hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and methane; and lactate, pyruvate and succinate. Acetate, propionate and butyrate that are not metabolized in colonocytes are absorbed from the colon and transported via the portal circulation to the liver. These short-chain fatty acids are extensively metabolized in hepatocytes. Acetate, propionate and butyrate that are not metabolized in hepatocyes are transported by the circulation to various tissues, where they undergo further metabolism. Butyrate is an important respiratory fuel for the colonocytes and is metabolized in them to carbon dioxide and water. Energy, in the form of ATP, is produced from the catabolism of butyrate.

Those with ileostomies may have a microbial population colonizing their ileums. In those cases, inulins could be fermented by some of the bacteria in similar fashion to the way they are fermented in the colon.

Reference:

Brighenti F, Casiraghi MC, Canzi E, Ferrari A. Effect of consumption of a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal containing inulin on the intestinal milieu and blood lipids in healthy male volunteers. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999; 53:726-733.

Menne E, Guggenbuhl N, Roberfroid M. Fn-type chicory inulin hydrolysate has a prebiotic effect in humans. J Nutr. 2000; 130:1197-1199.

Reddy BS, Hamid R, Rao CV. Effect of dietary oligofructose and inulin on colonic preneoplastic aberrant crypt foci inhibition. Carcinogenesis. 1997; 18:1371-1374.

Roberfroid MB, Delzenne NM. Dietary fructans. Annu Rev Nutr. 1998; 18:117-143.

Roberfroid MB, Van Loo JA, Gibson GR. The bifidogenic nature of chicory inulin and its hydrolysis products. J Nutr. 1998; 128:11-19.

Williams CM. Effects of inulin on lipid parameters in humans. J Nutr. 1999; 129(7 Suppl):1471S-1473S