Polydextrose fermentation in the large intestine and its effects
What it found
Polydextrose is slowly fermented by gut bacteria in the large intestine, and this has been shown to affect appetite and satiety in people and improve gut function.
What they found
Studies in people
Appetite and gut function
Polydextrose has been shown to affect appetite and fullness in people and to improve how the gut works.
Other findings
Structure and digestion
Polydextrose is a glucose polymer with a random, highly branched and complex structure. It resists digestion in the upper gut and is partly fermented by microbes in the large intestine.
Slow fermentation
Because its structure is complex, many different microbes are needed to break it down, and this happens slowly. This slow process produces moderate amounts of short chain fatty acids and gas.
Fermentation in distal colon
Fermentation products continue to be made in the far part of the colon, which is usually thought to have run out of fermentable materials.
Gut bacteria changes
Fermenting polydextrose changes the mix of bacteria in the colon.
What the authors conclude
- They summarise the lab, animal and human studies on polydextrose fermentation in the large intestine.
How it was done
The authors wanted to summarise the lab, animal and human studies on how polydextrose is fermented in the large intestine.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a summary of other studies, so it cannot provide new data on polydextrose itself.
- The human findings on appetite and gut function come from the studies reviewed, not from new experiments.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- 20014 University of Turku, Finland
The paper
- Title
- The fermentation of polydextrose in the large intestine and its beneficial effects
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Röytiö H, Ouwehand AC (2014). The fermentation of polydextrose in the large intestine and its beneficial effects. Beneficial microbes. doi:10.3920/BM2013.0065PubMed 24736314DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error