Polydextrose in infant formula tested in newborn piglets
What it found
Adding polydextrose to formula made no difference to growth, blood tests or organ health in newborn piglets over 18 days.
The authors found no unwanted effects even at the highest amount tested.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Growth and feeding
Piglets given polydextrose grew at the same rate and drank the same amount of formula as those on plain formula. Their behaviour scores were also similar.
Stool consistency
The firmness of stools did not differ between piglets drinking formula with polydextrose and those drinking plain formula.
Blood and organ checks
Blood chemistry, blood cell counts, organ sizes and tissue appearance in the liver, kidney and pancreas were about the same across all formula-fed groups.
Highest dose tested
The largest amount tested was 17.0 g of polydextrose per litre of formula. This equals 8.35 g per kg of body weight each day. The authors found no unwanted effects at this level.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that polydextrose acted like other prebiotic carbohydrates in newborn piglets.
- They report no unwanted effects at any of the amounts tested, including the highest dose of 17.0 g per litre.
How it was done
Human milk contains sugars that cow's milk and most infant formulas lack. Scientists have suggested adding prebiotic carbohydrates like polydextrose to formula to act as a substitute for those natural sugars.
They fed one-day-old piglets cow's milk formula with added polydextrose at four different strengths for 18 days. There were 13 piglets per dose group. They compared them to 13 piglets on plain formula, 13 piglets raised by their mothers, and 13 piglets checked on day zero.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These results come from piglets, so they cannot show exactly what happens in human babies.
- The trial lasted 18 days, so it cannot reveal effects of taking polydextrose over many months or years.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- North Carolina State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Safety evaluation of polydextrose in infant formula using a suckling piglet model
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Herfel TM, Jacobi SK, Lin X, Walker DC, Jouni ZE, Odle J (2009). Safety evaluation of polydextrose in infant formula using a suckling piglet model. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2009.03.039PubMed 19358872DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error