Soluble Corn Fiber Benefits Bones, Guts

CHICAGOExtremely low fiber intake among the global population could have potential serious, long-term public health implications. Research presented at the 2012 Experimental Biology and funded by Tate & Lyle found specialty corn fibers may have positive health benefits to bone and gut health.

The first study looked at how soluble corn fiber increases calcium absorption. In a double blind, randomized, controlled, crossover study, female and male subjects consumed a daily diet including 600 mg of calcium with either 0 g or 12 g of soluble corn fiber. Researchers found when the subjects consumed soluble corn fiber, calcium absorption increased by 12 percent compared to the control, but there was no overall effect on calcium balance.

"The area of fiber research is exploding with new discoveries for the role of fiber, such as helping boost calcium absorption in adolescents, an age group in which calcium intake is vitally important for a lifetime of bone health," said Connie Weaver, Ph.D., of Purdue University and a lead researcher in the fiber and calcium study. "Since people arent meeting their fiber goals with the foods they currently eat, adding fibers to foods is a realistic and simple way to address this global public health concern."

Adding fibers to food may also have positive effects on the gut, as the second study, a randomized control trial of 36 adults, looked at gut fermentation of two types of fiber: polydextrose and soluble corn fiber, and found both fiber types increased fermentation in the gut and were well-tolerated by the subjects.

Finally, the issue of digestive tolerance was addressed, as researchers looked at how well soluble corn fiber is tolerated at and above recommended daily intake levels. A randomized controlled crossover study of 20 healthy adults examined gut tolerance of soluble corn fiber at daily doses equivalent to and greater than daily recommendations. Current recommended daily intake is 25 to 38 g/d; in this study, multiple doses of soluble corn fiber were administered as a single bolus dose and spread out in multiple doses throughout the day. Up to a 40 g single dose of soluble corn fiber and a 65 g daily total were well-tolerated among subjects.