Buckwheat Offers Prebiotic Benefits 36917Buckwheat Offers Prebiotic Benefits

Buckwheat Offers Prebiotic Benefits

MADRID, Spain--Buckwheat is rich in amino acids, fatty acids,vitamins and minerals, and now researchers say this foodstuff may have prebioticcharacteristics. In a study published in the June edition of NutritionResearch (23, 6:803-14, 2003) (www.sciencedirect.com),researchers out of Spain investigated the effects of buckwheat ingestion in arat model. Rats fed a buckwheat diet for 30 days experienced lower body weightthan controls, although glucose levels remained the same in both groups.However, researchers noted that in an analysis of Enterobacteria, Enterococcusand Streptococcus in the rats' intestines, those on the buckwheat diet had fewerof these microbes. And, in the buckwheat-fed rats, scientists noted theyincreased levels of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium spp and Bifidobacteriumlactis. "These results confirm that buckwheat could possible byconsidered as a prebiotic product," the study's authors concluded.