Prebiotics

The lower part of the intestine, the colon, has been identified as a key organ affecting general health. The growth and metabolism of the many individual bacterial species inhabiting the colon depend primarily on the substrates available to them, most of which come from the diet. Oat β-glucans, which are indigestible in the small intestine but are fermented by bacteria in the colon, are called prebiotics.

Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth or activities of bacteria in the colon. They beneficially affect a series of intestinal functions by modulating the structure, composition, and metabolic activity of mucosa and microflora in the colon. The end products created from prebiotic fermentation in the colon are short-chain fatty acids, e.g., butyric acid, that serve as nutrients for mucosal cells.