Adventures in M - Day 7 - Oligofructose Complex

Part of my research yesterday was to figure out what the heck oligofructose complexes are and what they are supposed to do to increase the absorption of vitamins and minerals in our digestive system.

Oligofructose complexes are the 'patent-pending' creation of M scientists and, according to the neat little video graphics they appear to be wrapped around the mineral constituents of their multivitamin and mineral supplements.

I have no idea how they do this. I'll add it to the list of things to ask Customer Service tomorrow.

But I do know what they are - a chemistry background does have some advantages. Oligo means many and usually indicates a starch. Fructose is a fruit sugar. So, oligofructose is a polymerized (long-chained) fruit sugar. Okey-dokey. Now how does that help absorption?

Here are the studies that I found:

1. Franck determined that oligofructose-enriched inulin increased calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, published in a 2006 issue of the Nutrition Bulletin (31(4):341-5).

2. van den Heuvel found that oligofructose consumption increased the absorption of calcium in adolescent men, published in a 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (69(3):544-8). Other studies he conducted found that it did not have the same impact on adults.

3. Rao studied the pre-biotic effects of oligofructose intake, published in Nutrition Research (21(6):841-8).

4. Teitelbaum and Walker reviewed the literature on the pre-biotic effects of oligofructose, published in a 2002 issue of the Annual Review of Nutrition (22:107-38).

It is important to remember that the studies cited here dealt with small numbers of subjects and that far more data would need to be collected to ensure the results. One of the problems with scientific research and the modern media is that each little study can become a source of news but, really, it is only over the course of years and dozens of studies that reliable results can be generated. Given that caveat, here is what I've understood so far:

1. Oligofructose does seem to increase the absorption (or adsorption) of minerals (at least calcium) when taken as a supplement in some studies. I could not find any studies that dealt with binding the oligofructose to the mineral and studying the impact on absorption. But the initial results looked good.

2. A secondary finding, and one that is very important for me is that oligofructose appears to be a reliable pre-biotic. Now, I knew what probiotics are: the 'good' intestinal flora (bacteria) such as Acidophilus and Bifidus. These are really important in digestion and healthy body functions. When someone has been taking antibiotics (notice, the opposite of probiotics) the healthy intestinal flora is often killed off and the intestines can be repopulated by 'bad' bacteria such as E. coli, Staph, and Strep. Taking probiotics can help to recolonize with the 'good' stuff.

But I had never heard of a pre-biotic. Now that I have I am even happier to be taking M products, because my flora need all the help they can get. And that is exactly what a pre-biotic does, it helps to create a healthy environment in the intestines for the probiotics to grow. Cool!

The upshot of all this appears to be that oligofructose complex is probably helping me absorb more vitamins and minerals from my supplemements but it is almost certainly help create a healthier digestive system through the nurturing of my digestive flora.

Excellent.