Health effects of prebiotics

Initial studies in our laboratory indicate that the gut microflora of patients with ulcerative colitis responds in a similar manner to that of healthy individuals upon prebiotic ingestion, that is, increased faecal bifidobacteria and/or lactobacilli (Kolida unpublished data). Germinated barley foodstuff (GBF), which is a mixture of glutamine-rich protein and hemicellulose-rich fibres, has been shown to alleviate colitic symptoms in animal models of ulcetative colitis and in colitic patients (Bamba et al. 2002 Araki et al. 2000). This foodstuff, although rich in readily fermented fibre, has not been assessed for its prebiotic capabilities. That is to say, that although a beneficial health effect has been observed upon ingestion of GBF, the impact of GBF fermentation upon the gut microflora, and in particular on relative numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, has not been determined. 

Hughes and Rowland (2001) showed that long chain inulin and inulin-derived fructo-oligosaccharides significantly increased apoptosis in the colonic crypts of rats challenged with the colonic carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine. Within the colonic crypt, apoptosis is the means by which older, differentiated epithelial cells are sloughed off and replaced by 

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