Category Archives: Colonic Microflora

Colonic Digestion

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Robert Barrington

The digestion and absorption of food is an interesting and not fully understood topic. The lack of understanding stems from the difficulty is accessing the absorptive surfaces of the gut to be able to measure the transport of nutrients, and … Continue reading →

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Breastfeeding: Prebiotic Action

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Evidence in the nutritional literature suggests that breastfeeding holds a number of advantages over the use of formula milk. In particular the fatty acid content of human milk is high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 (n-3)) and this may optimally … Continue reading →

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Microorganisms Of The Rumen

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Robert Barrington

It is only recently that the importance of the microbiota in the human gut has being fully appreciated as pivotal to human health. This is surprising, because the colonisation of the guts of ruminant livestock is known to provide essential … Continue reading →

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Lactase Insufficiency and Lactose Malabsorption

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Robert Barrington

  Lactase insufficiency is characterised by an insufficient production of the β-galactosidase enzyme (lactase) responsible for cleavage of the dietary disaccharide lactose. This enzyme is usually present in the brush border membrane of the enterocytes of the small intestine. The … Continue reading →

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Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides: Beneficial Sugars?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Arabinoxylan (AX) is a major hemicellulose fibre component of cereal grains, which makes up around 15 to 30 % of the bran layer and around 1 to 3 % of the endosperm. The polysaccharide is a copolymer of the pentose … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides, Colonic Microflora, Fibre, Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), Galacto-oligosaccharides | Comments Off on Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides: Beneficial Sugars?

Arabino-xylooligosaccharides as Prebiotics?

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates, that are able to act as a food source for colonic microorganisms and favourably influence populations of beneficial bacteria. Fructooligsaccharides (FOS) have been extensively studied for their prebiotic effects and beneficial properties have been reported. However, … Continue reading →

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Probotics and Immunity

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Evidence suggest that colonic bacteria are able to modulate immunity. Probiotic supplements have been shown to produce immune benefits, and modification to immune parameters has been reported. Changes following supplementation include increases in natural killer cells, lymphocytes and immunoglobulin A. … Continue reading →

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Colonic Microflora and Energy

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Robert Barrington

The colon is home to a large number of species of microflora that play an important role in health. Colonic microflora possess enzymes not present in humans, and are therefore able to metabolise a wide variety of nutrients that would … Continue reading →

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