Abstract
Aim
Increasing calcium intake is the most effective strategy for avoiding Ca deficit. However, if intake remains inadequate, improving Ca absorption becomes an important tool to optimize Ca homeostasis and bone health.
Purpose
The effect of a mixture of GOS/FOS® 9:1 added to a normal- or low-Ca diets on Ca absorption and bone mineralization, density and structure was investigated, in a model of growing rats. Several colonic parameters to help support the findings were also evaluated.
Results
Weanling Wistar rats received one of the four experimental AIN-93G diets: C5: 0.5 % Ca; C3: 0.3 % Ca; P5: 0.5 % Ca + 5.3 % GOS/FOS®; P3: 0.3 % Ca + 5.3 % GOS/FOS® until 50 days (T = 50). At T = 50, lactobacillus and cecum weights were higher, whereas cecum pH was lower in P5 and P3 versus C5 and C3 (p < 0.001). At T = 50, fecal Ca, Mg and P were lower and their absorptions (mg/dL) were higher in P5 and P3 versus C5 and C3, respectively (p < 0.05). Ca, Mg and P absorption % was higher in P5 and P3 versus C5 and C3 (p < 0.001). Femur Ca and P content, bone mineral content, trabecular bone mineral density, tibia length, bone volume, osteoblast surface, stiffness and elastic modulus were higher in P5 and P3 versus C5 and C3 (p < 0.05). Despite the lower Ca content, P3 group reached similar values than C5 in all these latter parameters.
Conclusions
Supplementing diets with the GOS/FOS® mixture increased bone mineralization, density and structure due to an increase in Ca, P and Mg absorptions. Thus, this prebiotic mixture may help to improve bone development in a period of high calcium requirements.
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Abbreviations
- Ab %:
-
Absorption percentage
- Ab:
-
Absorption
- AIN:
-
American Institute of Nutrition
- BAP:
-
Bone alkaline phosphatase
- BL:
-
Body length
- BV/TV:
-
Bone volume
- BW:
-
Body weight
- Ca:
-
Calcium
- CaI:
-
Calcium intake
- CFU:
-
Numbers of colony-forming units
- DXA:
-
Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry
- ENNyS:
-
National nutrition and health survey
- F:
-
Feces
- FOS:
-
Fructo-oligosaccharides
- GOS:
-
Galacto-oligosaccharides
- GPC.Th:
-
Whole thickness of the growth plate cartilage
- HpZ.Th:
-
Hypertrophic zone thickness
- LS:
-
Colonies of lactobacillus
- Mg:
-
Magnesium
- NDO:
-
Non-digestible oligosaccharides
- P:
-
Phosphorous
- PTH:
-
Parathyroid hormone
- SCFAs:
-
Short-chain fatty acids
- TL:
-
Tail length
- tsBMC:
-
Total skeleton bone mineral content
- tsBMD:
-
Total skeleton bone mineral density
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge Nutricia-Bago for kindly providing the GOS/FOS® mixture. The authors thank Ms. Julia Somoza for her technical assistance and Mr. Ricardo Orzuza from the General and Oral Biochemistry Department, School of Dentistry, Buenos Aires University, for his technical support and for taking care of the animals. This study was partially funded by the Buenos Aires University and CONICET Grant PIP 11220100100004.
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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest associated with this manuscript.
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Bryk, G., Coronel, M.Z., Pellegrini, G. et al. Effect of a combination GOS/FOS® prebiotic mixture and interaction with calcium intake on mineral absorption and bone parameters in growing rats. Eur J Nutr 54, 913–923 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0768-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0768-y