Prebiotic Effect on Bone Health among Female Students, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Alhanouf Saad Alassaf; Fai Ibrahim Albahussain; Haya Fahad Alhmli; Nada Adnan Almohaisen; Sara Muteb Alotaishan

Volume : V, Issue : X, October - 2016

Prebiotic Effect on Bone Health among Female Students, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Alhanouf Saad Alassaf, Fai Ibrahim Albahussain, Haya Fahad Alhmli, Nada Adnan Almohaisen, Sara Muteb Alotaishan

Abstract :

Introduction: Prebiotic has an enhancement effect on gastrointestinal (GI) digestion and absorption; however the impact on calcium (Ca) absorption has limited data among young female from 18 to 25 years old. Our study aimed to investigate if the consumption of 4 grams (g) of fructo–oligosaccride (FOS) stimulates bone mineralization in undergraduate female on period of six weeks. Assess the overall intake of fiber (prebiotic) sources and examine the bone mass of undergraduate students of UoD. Material and Methods: Twenty–five undergraduate female students at university of Dammam (UOD), healthy free from acute and chronic disease, body mass index (BMI) between 17.2–38.2 and aged 18–25 years, received 4g FOS/day (SOURCE NATURALS) for six weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured before/after six weeks by dual energy X–ray absorptiometry (DEXA, Discovery). Self–administered questionnaire to estimate the usual intake of fiber (prebiotic). Results: The number of participants who completed the study were 23 participants, 52% of them were osteopenia, 44% normal and 4% osteoporosis. The majority of participants did not meet the individual serving requirement of fiber (prebiotic). BMD results showed a significant increase (P value 0.017) with FOS supplementation within 6 weeks. Conclusion: Our study showed an enhancement of Ca absorption with 4 g of FOS supplementation, which might be good candidate for functional food ingredients to bone health.