Soluble corn fiber and gut bacteria in lab models
What it found
In lab models of the gut, soluble corn fiber boosted beneficial bacteria and short-chain fatty acid production across baby, adult and elderly samples.
It also protected gut barrier cells from damage in the baby and adult models, but not the elderly one.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Gut barrier protection
In the baby and adult lab models, liquid from the soluble corn fiber treated gut models protected Caco-2 cell membranes from damage caused by LPS. This protection was not seen in the elderly model.
Bacteria groups increased
Soluble corn fiber treatment increased Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Bifidobacteria in all three age models, though the amounts varied between models and donors.
Short-chain fatty acids
Short-chain fatty acid production went up in all three models with soluble corn fiber treatment. The rise in propionate was the most noticeable in the baby and adult models.
Inflammation markers
In the baby model, there was little overall effect on cytokine or chemokine production after LPS stimulation, except for TNF alpha, which was higher with washout period samples than treatment period samples. In the adult model, washout samples led to more IL-6 and less TNF alpha after LPS stimulation. In the elderly model, TNF alpha rose with both treatment and washout samples, and the rise was larger with washout samples.
Butyrate levels
The elderly donor had higher baseline butyrate levels (about 17 to 20 mmol/L) than the adult or baby donors (about 8 to 12 mmol/L). The authors suggest this may have masked any extra barrier protection from soluble corn fiber in the elderly model.
What the authors conclude
“These findings demonstrate the prebiotic potential of SCF in babies, adults, and the elderly and provide insight into the mechanisms behind the observed prebiotic effects.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say this is the first in vitro investigation into the effects of soluble corn fiber on the baby gut microbiota.
- They state that the findings support further studies to determine whether the prebiotic effects seen in the M-SHIME model will translate to beneficial biological effects in vivo.
- They note that the adult and elderly results add to existing evidence and support additional studies in those groups.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how soluble corn fiber affects the mix and activity of gut bacteria, and how those changes affect the gut lining and immune response. They were especially interested in whether effects differ by age.
They used a lab model of the human gut (M-SHIME) with fecal samples from healthy donors: 4 babies (2 years or younger), 2 adults (18 to 45 years), and 1 elderly person (70 years). The models were given soluble corn fiber daily for 3 weeks at doses of 1.5, 3, or 4.5 grams per day for babies, 3 or 8.5 grams per day for adults, and 8.5 grams per day for the elderly donor.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a lab model using fecal samples, not a study in living people. The results cannot be directly translated to biological responses in humans.
- The study used only one to four donors per age group, so the findings may not apply to the wider population.
- The baby, adult, and elderly models were run somewhat differently, so direct comparisons between age groups are not appropriate.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Tate & Lyle PLC (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Authors are employees of ProDigest (M.C.A., C.R., and M.M.) or Tate & Lyle PLC (I.L., D.R., and K.K.) as indicated by our affiliations. This work was funded by Tate & Lyle, London, UK which specializes in fibers and low-calorie sweetening ingredients used by food and drink producers worldwide. ProDigest is a company based in Ghent, Belgium which specializes in offering in vitro services to food and functional food companies. The funders were involved in the design of the study; in the interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- Ghent University, Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Age-Dependent Prebiotic Effects of Soluble Corn Fiber in M-SHIME ® Gut Microbial Ecosystems
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Arroyo MC, Laurie I, Rotsaert C, Marzorati M, Risso D, Karnik K (2023). Age-Dependent Prebiotic Effects of Soluble Corn Fiber in M-SHIME ® Gut Microbial Ecosystems. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands). doi:10.1007/s11130-023-01043-zFree full textPubMed 36694053DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error