Mechanism of Regulation of Intestinal Environment and Biological Functions by Food Components

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Indigestible starch component is present in starchy food. This may function to improve intestinal functions like dietary fiber. In this experiment, resistant starch (RS) was prepared from high-amylose starch and investigated its functions in comparison to dietary fiber such as pectin (PE) and konjac mannan (KM). Five-weeks-old rats of the Wistar strain were fed diets containing each DF source at levels of 4 and 8% as DF in diets for 3 weeks as cellulose powder as the control. RS was revealed to be fermentable like water soluble DFs (PE and KM) and contribute to the lowering of intestinal environment with production of short-chain fatty acids though it was classified as insoluble DF.In 8%RS group significant decrease in the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride in plasma was observed concomitant with decreases in liver lipids. Excretion of bile acids tended to be low in RS and KM,but was tended to be high in PE.Fecal cholestrol tended to be high in RS,KM and especially in PE.However fecal coprostanol was significantly lower in all test groups. Fecal neutral steroids tended to be low in 8%RS and 8%KM,and high in PE.The function of RS was not originated from inhibition of absorption like PE,but seemed to affect the host animal by suppressing biotransformation of primary substances to secondary substances through improvement of intestinal environment.