11.01.03
A study recently completed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign concluded that the introduction of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS™) in the diets of young children suffering from diarrhea may be an easy and cost effective way to reduce the symptoms caused by diarrhea. The study showed that consuming scFOS, a fermentable fiber with a prebiotic effect similar to that of breast milk oligosaccharides, significantly reduced the symptoms and duration of diarrhea in a relevant animal model. scFOS helped to retain stool consistency during infection and significantly increased the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production that is essential for maintaining intestinal structure and function.