MYSORE, India—Researchers at the Central Food Technological Research Institute found xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) from alkali-pretreated corncob and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) from cane sugar have an ameliorating influence on metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes, besides conferring an optimal milieu of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, further suggesting their potential health benefit in diabetics (Br J Clin Nutr. 2010).
The oligosaccharides were supplemented at 10 percent (w/w) in the basal diet of streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats, while the control rats were fed with a basal diet for six weeks. Both the oligosaccharides exerted favorable influences in diabetic rats by significantly improving body weight, and reducing hyperglycaemia and cholesterol. The characteristic diabetic complications such as severe glucosuria, proteinuria and advanced glycation end products in renal tissue, diabetic nephropathy, and blood creatinine and urea concentrations were notably reduced. The oligosaccharide supplementations also significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes—catalase and glutathione reductase—in the blood of diabetic rats. Supplementation of XOS and FOS resulted in a significant increase in the bifidobacteria and lactobacilli population in the caecum.
