A follow-up study of the ingestion of gellan gum by humans, with special reference to the absence of eosinophilia.
Following a 7-day control period, during which sampling was carried out on two occasions (days 1 and 8), 10 female and 10 male healthy volunteers consumed a weight of gellan gum corresponding to 175 mg/kg body weight for 7 days (days 8-14) followed by 200 mg gellan gum per kg body weight for a further 14 days (days 15-28). The total period of ingestion (21 days) was followed by a further 7-day control period (days 29-36). 'Control' samples for haematology and plasma clinical chemistry were therefore secured on days 1, 8 and 36, and 'test' samples were secured on days 15, 22 and 29. In addition, 24 h samples were monitored by urinalysis, and 24 h faecal samples were monitored for occult blood three times each week. The major objectives were to supplement the data for gellan gum obtained previously, particularly in respect of changes in eosinophil concentrations, and to re-examine the responses of two male volunteers who had given indications of eosinophilia in a previous study. There was no such response by them, or by any of the other 18 volunteers, on this occasion.
Anderson
D M
DM
Chemistry Department, The University, Edinburgh, UK.
Brydon
W G
WG
Eastwood
M A
MA
Sedgwick
D M
DM
D000328:Adult; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000009:adverse effects*
D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C048288:gellan gum