Soluble corn fiber (SCF) may not only boost fiber intake when added to foods, but also increase the amount of beneficial bacteria present in the gut while enhancing calcium absorption, retention and bone building
Supplementing with soluble corn fiber at 2 critical times in a woman’s life – adolescence and post-menopause – can help build and retain calcium in bone, according to new research from Purdue University. “We are looking deeper in the gut to build healthy bone in girls and help older women retain strong bones during an age when they are susceptible to fractures,” said Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of nutrition science. “Soluble corn fiber, a prebiotic, helps the body better utilize calcium during both adolescence and post-menopause. The gut microbiome is the new frontier in health.”
A prebiotic fiber passes through the gut for the microbes in the lower gut to digest. Here is where Weaver found that soluble corn fiber is broken down into short chain fatty acids to aid in bone health. In the post-menopausal study, calcium retention was measured in 14 women by using an isotope to measure the excretion of 41Ca to measure bone loss. The women consumed 0g, 10 g or 20 g of this nondigestible carbohydrate each day for 50 days. Bone calcium retention was improved by 4.8% and 7% for those who consumed 10g and 20g, respectively. These amounts of soluble corn fiber would be found in supplement form.
“If projected out for a year, this would equal and counter the average rate of bone loss in a post-menopausal woman,” said Weaver. The calcium 41 technology, an isotope measure to trace calcium deposits through accelerator mass spectrometry in the Purdue Rare Isotope Measurement Laboratory (PRIME Lab), can measure atomic quantities. In the adolescent study, 44Ca and 43Ca were used.
31 girls either consumed 0g, 10g or 20g of soluble corn fiber carbohydrate each day for 3 weeks while maintaining their regular diets. Both 10g and 20g led to improved calcium absorption by 12% for female adolescents, which would build 1.8% more skeleton a year. In both studies, gastrointestinal symptoms were minimal and the same for the control groups, as well as in those who consumed soluble corn fiber.
Calcium is considered a shortfall nutrient, and few people meet the recommended 1,300mg of calcium for healthy bone mass. Weaver said. “Calcium alone suppresses bone loss, but it doesn’t enhance bone formation. These fibers enhance bone formation, so they are doing something more than enhancing calcium absorption.” Weaver’s team is looking into the mechanisms of how soluble corn fiber boosts calcium absorption and retention, as well as if the prebiotic fiber benefits the body in other ways.
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2016/Q3/soluble-corn-fiber-can-help-young-women-build-bone,-and-older-women-preserve-bone.html
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