title: Metabolic adaptation of colonic microbiota to galactooligosaccharides: a proof-of-concept-study.
abstract: Prebiotics have been shown to reduce abdominal symptoms in patients with functional gut disorders, despite that they are fermented by colonic bacteria and may induce gas-related symptoms.
  
  
  
  To investigate changes in the metabolic activity of gut microbiota induced by a recognised prebiotic.
  
  
  
  Healthy subjects (n = 20) were given a prebiotic (2.8 g/day HOST-G904, HOST Therabiomics, Jersey, Channel Islands) for 3 weeks. During 3-day periods immediately before, at the beginning and at the end of the administration subjects were put on a standard diet (low fibre diet supplemented with one portion of high fibre foods) and the following outcomes were measured: (i) number of daytime gas evacuations for 2 days by means of an event marker; (ii) volume of gas evacuated via a rectal tube during 4 h after a test meal; and (iii) microbiota composition by faecal Illumina MiSeq sequencing.
  
  
  
  At the beginning of administration, HOST-G904 significantly increased the number of daily anal gas evacuations (18 ± 2 vs. 12 ± 1 pre-administration; P < 0.001) and the volume of gas evacuated after the test meal (236 ± 23 mL vs. 160 ± 17 mL pre-administration; P = 0.006). However, after 3 weeks of administration, these effects diminished (11 ± 2 daily evacuations, 169 ± 23 mL gas evacuation). At day 21, relative abundance of butyrate producers (Lachnospiraceae) correlated inversely with the volume of gas evacuated (r = -0.52; P = 0.02).
  
  
  
  The availability of substrates induces an adaptation of the colonic microbiota activity in bacterial metabolism, which produces less gas and associated issues. Clinical trials.gov NCT02618239.
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mego
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manichanh
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Accarino
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pozuelo
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.affiliation: Clasado Research Services Ltd, Science and Technology Centre, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vulevic
authors.affiliation: Clasado Research Services Ltd, Science and Technology Centre, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tzortzis
authors.affiliation: Food Microbial Sciences Unit, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guarner
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7327-960X
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azpiroz
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D004032:Diet; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D008875:Middle Aged; D056692:Prebiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D056692:Prebiotics