A fructooligosaccharide (also written fructo-oligosaccharide) is a carbohydrate, which is made out of a short chain of fructose molecules. It is also classed as an oligosaccharide; oligo meaning few and saccharide, sugar. Fructooligosaccharides are also sometimes called oligofructose. Often the term is abbreviated to the letters FOS.

Together with inulin fiber, fructooligosaccharides are probably most recognized for their prebiotic qualities.

They are very similar but not identical to inulin: the difference being in their chemical structures. Fructo-oligosaccharide chains of molecules are shorter than inulin chains.

Where Can I Find FOS?

You can find FOS in certain natural foods including:

• Bananas
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Chicory
• Sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes
• Yacón
• Barley
• Wheat

Of these foods the sunchoke or Jerusalem artichoke and its relative, the yacón have the highest concentrations of FOS.

You will also find that fructo-oligosaccharide or oligofructose, as it is also known, is added to many processed foods, mainly as a prebiotic or fiber supplement but also as a sweetener.

This type of FOS is not natural. Most is manufactured using a chemical process, in which fungal enzymes are added to white sugar (sucrose), acting upon it and turning it into FOS. Some fructooligosaccharides are also made by the hydrolysis (breaking down) of inulin from chicory. FOS is becoming increasingly popular as a prebiotic and is now added to many types of processed foods in the US. You may already have come across this additive in the foods you buy. As a prebiotic, FOS is very similar in terms of properties to inulin. It can be considered beneficial to your health as it:

• Is virtually undigested by the human digestive system so arrives in the colon unaltered, providing a food source forbeneficial bacteria
• Has low calorific value.
• Increases the population of bifidobacteria in the colon.^1,2
• Acts as a non-digestible fiber in the diet and so can help relieve constipation.

Additionally FOS has been shown to:

• Enhance magnesium absorption.³
• Promote calcium absorption.⁴

Like inulin fiber, FOS appears to be a good thing. Before you decide to try it though, you should be aware of its side-effects.

What Are the Side Effects of Taking a Fructooligosaccharide?

Before you decide that fructooligosaccharides are for you, you should be aware that they:

• Have been shown in some scientific studies to increase the growth of “bad” bacteria such as Klebsiella Pneumonia and other less-friendly organisms such as E. Coli and many Clostridium species^5,6. Klebsiella Pneumonia is associated with the auto-immune disease Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and also worryingly is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics both in the US and elsewhere.
• Are likely to cause an increase in gas, abdominal discomfort and bloating if taken in large quantities.

Should I Take Fructooligosaccharides?

It is clear then that FOS has both advantages and disadvantages. Should you take it and if so how should you take it?

Given that fructooligosaccharides appear to be able to feed less friendly organisms in the colon, we think it is prudent to avoid high quantities of FOS if your digestive flora is very unbalanced.

Large amounts of FOS are usually found in supplements such as probiotics, stand-alone fructooligosaccharide supplements or processed foods. Natural foods contain small amounts of fructo-oligosaccharides in a less concentrated form and, depending on your situation, you may be able to manage these lesser amounts.

Gut dysbiosis, intestinal candida and food intolerance symptoms are sure signs that you have a gut flora imbalance, so if this is you, be sure to avoid foods and supplements with added FOS. If you are in this situation and are taking a

probiotic supplement to help you re-balance your digestive flora, be sure to choose one which is free from FOS and other prebiotics. Also if you have Ankylosing Spondylitis then high quantities of fructooligosaccharides are not for you.

If you are free of these ailments then FOS may be of help to you. Have a word with your physician before you begin and remember to start with small quantities only and ramp up slowly!

Where Can I Buy Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)?

You can buy FOS in supplement form as a stand-alone product or combined with probiotics.

Internet retailer iHerb.com also supplies a fantastic range of stand-alone FOS supplements as well as probiotics containing FOS. Their international shipping rates are also very reasonable. Click here to browse their store and receive $5 USD off your first purchase.

Prebiotics are non-digestible foods or food ingredients, which enter our colons un-altered by the digestive process, serving as an energy and growth source for the beneficial bacteria that live in our large intestine. In other words, prebiotics are food for the friendly bacteria in your intestines.

Types of Prebiotics

There are numerous different prebiotics currently on the market. In the US, the most common ones in use include:

• Inulin, sometimes also known as inulin fiber
• Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS)
• Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
• Lactulose

These substances have been the subject of numerous studies. Most of this research focuses on inulin, FOS and GOS and these substances, with their relatively long history of safe use, are now generally regarded as safe^1,2.

More recently new prebiotics have become available from Japan. These include:

• Isomalto-oligosaccharides (ISO)
• Soy-oligosaccharides (SOS)
• Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS)
• Lactosucrose (LS)
• Pectic-oligosaccharides

These newer compounds have been studied to varying degrees in laboratory test tubes (in vitro), mainly in animal feeding studies. These novel prebiotic substances are not widely available.

What Are The Advantages of Prebiotics?

Garlic & Onions: Good Sources of Prebiotics

Prebiotics feed the friendly bacteria in our large intestine and so help good bacteria to survive and thrive. The general consensus is that prebiotics help to improve the intestinal probiotic balance in our intestines by feeding the probiotic bacteria. In this way prebiotics are thought to be indirectly beneficial to our health.

Prebiotics not only serve as nourishment, strengthening our all important probiotic intestinal flora, they also slow down the activity, growth and metabolism of the “unhelpful” microbes, with which they have to compete for survival.

Prebiotics are also:

• Easy to store. Most do not require refrigeration
• Readily available in natural forms in your local grocery store
• Excellent value for money
• Easy to include in your normal diet – in fact you may already unknowingly be eating several excellent sources of prebiotics!

What Are The Disadvantages of Prebiotics?

In terms of disadvantages, a side effect of prebiotics is that you may experience temporary gastro-intestinal problems such as increased gas and/or bloating when you begin taking them or if your intake of these substances is particularly high. One way to avoid such a scenario is to begin by taking only a small amount of prebiotic and then gradually to increase your intake over a number of weeks.

In theory prebiotics are supposed to feed only friendly bacteria. However, in cases where the digestive flora has become unbalanced, they also appear to support the growth of unhelpful bacteria. If you know your digestive flora is unbalanced or are experiencing symptoms of food intolerance, intestinal dysbiosis or an overgrowth of Candida Albicans, be advised that prebiotics may exacerbate your symptoms, worsening your overall situation. Indeed, Gastroenterologist, Professor John Hunter, of the Gastroenterology Research Unit, Addenbrookes Hospital, UK, advises his food intolerant patients to avoid prebiotics³.

Where Can I Find Prebiotics?

If you are keen to try prebiotics, you can find them in:

Natural Foods

Many natural foods are rich in prebiotics AND are very easy to find at your local grocery store! These include:

Vegetables:

• Tomatoes
• Sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes
• Onions
• Chicory
• Greens (especially dandelion greens but also spinach, collard greens, chard, kale, mustard greens, and others)
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Leeks

Fruit:

• Berries
• Bananas

Whole Grains:

• Wheat
• Oatmeal
• Barley
• Flaxseed

Legumes:

• Lentils
• Kidney beans
• Chickpeas
• Navy beans
• White beans
• Black beans

And breast milk!

Including natural prebiotic-rich foods in your diet is the most cost effective way of adding prebiotics to your diet. Naturally-occurring prebiotics in food are also stable and they survive the cooking process. This makes them really easy and convenient to include in your diet.

Processed Foods

Increasingly prebiotics are being added to many types of processed foods such as commercial yogurt and dairy drinks, nutrition and meal replacement bars, “green foods”, functional wafers, cereals and cereal bars as well as infant foods and formulas. You can buy many of these foods at your local grocery store.

Be aware, however, that many of these foods may be high in sugar and/or salt and so may not always be as healthy as they first appear.

Also many processed foods such as canned beans contain prebiotics but may not be labeled as such.

Buying specific prebiotic processed foods can be an expensive way of getting prebiotics into your diet.

Nutritional Supplements

Prebiotics can also be purchased as a supplement, either as a stand-alone product such as a pure fructooligosaccharide (FOS) supplement or as an enhancement to a probiotic supplement. Probiotics with added prebiotics are easy to find. Examples include Culturelle and HMF probiotics as well as the high potency probiotics Therbiotic Complete (Klaire Laboratories) and Maximum Support Probiotic Formula (Brain Child Nutritionals).

Remember that prebiotics work in conjunction with probiotics so to get best benefit take a probiotic too. And last of all, a final word about prebiotics… there are no official guidelines as to the optimum daily dose of prebiotics so if you do decide to try prebiotics, be sure to consult your physician before beginning to ensure your intake is sensible for your situation.

What are They?

You may have noticed baby probiotics in grocery and drug stores when you’ve been out shopping. In fact in the US, there is an ever-increasing range of baby probiotic supplements. There’s also a growing number of processed infant foods (infant formula, jarred infant food, baby cereals, and snacks) that are fortified with probiotics.

But what are probiotics?

Probiotics are live, friendly bacteria, which can provide adults, children, and babies alike with health benefits.

Can Babies Take Probiotics Too?

The good news is that babies can also take probiotics. Indeed probiotic supplements have been scientifically shown to help infants!

If you want to find out more information about baby probiotics, or infant probiotics as they are also known, then read on!

You’ll find lots of details here on baby probiotics including scientific evidence supporting their use as well as answers to those frequently asked questions that may be niggling you.

Doesn’t My Baby Already Have Friendly Bacteria?

The short answer to this question is yes!

Whilst in your womb, your baby’s intestinal tract is sterile – and so its free from bacteria.

From birth though your baby begins the process of acquiring the friendly bacteria in the gut that play such a critical role in health and wellness.

How your child is born, strongly influences what kind of bacteria your child will acquire.

Infants that are born vaginally begin accumulating beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli (commonly abbreviated to E. coli) and Enterococcus in the birth canal with the very process of birth. These bacteria form the foundations of a healthy digestive flora and originate from healthy maternal vaginal and fecal flora.

Babies born via caesarian on the other hand, receive a different mix of bacteria at birth. This comes from the maternity hospital itself, notably from nursing staff and equipment and includes Clostridium and Streptococcus.

Following birth, the acquisition of digestive flora continues until your baby is around two to three months of age with most of this beneficial bacteria coming from the mother via touch, suckling and kissing¹.

The way in which you feed your baby also has a strong influence on his or her digestive flora.

A breastfed baby tends to have greater numbers and types of beneficial bacteria than a formula fed infant, notably Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus and Enterococcus.

These bacteria, specifically those belonging to the Bifidobacteria clan (genera) (e.g. Bifidobacteria infantis, Bifidobacteria bifidum, Bifidobacteria longum and Bifidobacteria breve) thrive in the presence of breast milk proteins and constitute up to 90% of a breastfed infant’s micro flora. They help prevent harmful bacteria colonizing the infant’s intestine.

Why Would I Need to Give My Baby Probiotics?

By this stage, you may be wondering, why anyone might want to give a baby probiotics when the child already has its own probiotic flora.

Well just as adults and older children can have an unbalanced digestive flora, so too can an infant. There are several reasons why your infant’s digestive flora may need a helping hand from probiotics including:

• Your baby is currently receiving or has recently undertaken a course of antibiotics.
• The mother’s digestive flora is unbalanced or was so at birth. Common signs of an out-of-sync digestive flora may include Candida albicans infection (intestinal and/or vaginal thrush), food intolerance symptoms, gut dysbiosis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms.
• Your baby was born by caesarian section. Research indicates that the digestive flora in infants born by caesarian section may be disturbed for up to six months after birth³.
• You baby was born prematurely. Research has shown that premature birth can result in a delayed and abnormal pattern of gut colonization with beneficial Bifidobacteria⁴.

Probiotic Supplements or Probiotic Foods?

Which is best? Giving your baby probiotics in the form of supplements or feeding probiotic foods? Well the answer is depends your baby’s age as well as the reason for giving your baby probiotics in the first place.

If your baby has been weaned onto solid foods and is healthy and you simply want your child to stay this way, then it makes sense to include probiotic foods in your child’s diet. Start these as early as possible so your infant get used to the sour taste of probiotic foods. Suitable early foods include probiotic yogurt and fermented dairy drinks such as milk kefir. You can also liquidize cultured vegetables such as

fermented cabbage sauerkraut) in a blender and you can rub some of the fermented vegetable juice into your baby’s gums.

If however your child has a specific health problem for which you have sought professional advice and for which you wish to try probiotic supplements, then giving your child baby probiotics is a good idea. Baby probiotics contain an adequate dose of probiotics for therapeutic use. They are also the best method of giving probiotics to tiny babies, who have not yet been weaned.

Don’t forget too, that your baby will acquire most of its beneficial flora from its mother. To ensure your baby gets a good maternal dose of healthy intestinal bacteria, make sure that mum too includes probiotics in her diet as well as plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, which feed the all-important beneficial bacteria.

Scientific Evidence Supporting the Use of Probiotics in Infants

Indeed a significant amount of scientific evidence also exists to suggest that giving a baby probiotics may provide health benefits. Probiotics have been shown to help a wide range of infant conditions including:

• Atopic disease including eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma: Probiotics were shown both to help prevent and reduce these conditions. The studies used Lactobacillus GG, which is marketed as Culturelle Probiotic for Kids and Lactobacillus reuteri which is available in Biogaia Infant Drops)^5,6.
• Colic: Probiotics were proven to improve symptoms. Lactobacillus reuteri which is available in Biogaia Infant Drops, was used in this study⁷.
• Diarrhea and Gastroenteritis: This study concluded that probiotics, specifically Bifidobacteria, reduced the incidence of these conditions⁸.
• Functional chronic baby constipation⁹. Lactobacillus reuteri, which is available in Biogaia Infant Drops, was shown to increase the number of bowel movements.
• Necrotizing enterocolitis in premature babies: Probiotics were proven to help prevention and reduce the severity of this condition. The studies used three different probiotic combinations: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium infantis¹⁰, a mixture of Bifidobacterium Bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus¹¹, and a combination of Bifidobacteria infantis, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bifidobacteria bifidus¹²(latter marketed as Solgar ABC Dophilus)

Additionally probiotics for children have also been shown to have health benefits, which may be applicable to babies.

Where Can I buy Baby Probiotics

We have teamed up woth Amazon.com to provide you with a fantastic range of baby probiotics. Click here to visit our store.

Probiotic yogurt or live yogurt as it is also known, has been consumed in many different cuisines around the world since ancient times. Nomadic herdsmen are believed to be the first consumers of probiotic yogurt, begining the tradition approximately 9,000 years ago when man first began keeping animals. Originally, the fermentation of milk to produce yogurt is thought to have occurred naturally by wild bacteria and quite by accident. However, the herdsmen soon learned to culture the milk themselves, making their own probiotic yogurt.The milk is most commonly from cows though probiotic yogurts made from goat, sheep or even water buffalo milk are also available. Likewise probiotic yogurts made using soy milk are becoming increasingly popular.Go try some – see what it could do for you!There are some wonderful and simple recipes for making cold yogurt sauces, as well as other probiotic foods in Sally Fallon’s excellent book, Nourishing Traditions and also Wild Fermentation by Sandor Elliz Katz.You can also use a commercial yogurt starter instead of commerical plain yogurt.

Today probiotic yogurt is still consumed by many different cultures worldwide. In the United States, live yogurt is the most popular probiotic food. Over recent years, as Americans have begun to recognise the benefits of probiotic foods, US consumption of probiotic yogurt has increased. Although on the rise however, US consumption of live yogurt is considerably lower than that in either Europe or the Middle East.Live yogurts are usually made from animal milks to which the following probiotic bacteria are added:

Health Benefits of Probiotic YogurtAs well as being very nutritious – yogurt contains calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and protein – various research studies have concluded that yogurt is beneficial to health. While more research is needed, eating probiotic yogurt on a regular basis is thought to provide the following health benefits:

Improved immune ability to resist and recover from infection¹.Prevention of vaginal yeast and bacterial infections².Lowering of LDL “bad” cholesterol whilst raisng HDL “good” cholesterol levels³.Reduction of blood pressure⁴.Improvement in gastrointestinal conditions such as antibiotic-induced diarrhea⁵, constipation⁶,lactose intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, and helicobacter pylori infection and treatment efficacy^7,8.

Uses of Probiotic YogurtIf you’re like most people, you probably eat your yogurt as a dessert. However there are numerous other ways to enjoy yogurt. One super easy way of including probiotic yogurt in your daily diet is simply by replacing your usual yogurt with a probiotic one. Other easy ways to include probiotic yogurt in your diet include:

On your morning breakfast cereal as a replacement for milk.As a snack with fresh fruit.Use it in place of milk in your smoothies.Mixed with cucumber, garlic and/or lemon and eaten as a cold savory sauce or dip.

Buying Probiotic YogurtProbiotic yogurt can be purchased in most grocery stores. It is available in many different forms including regular, low fat to fat-free, chilled or frozen, flavored and unflavored. Additionally and increasingly you can also buy probiotic yogurt in tubes, which can be squeezed into your mouth. Be wary though, not all of these products as as wholesome and healthy as they appear!Sorting through all the probiotic yogurt options to find one that will deliver the health benefits of probiotics can seem a daunting task but, armed with a little information, you will be able to do this in minutes. Let us show you how to choose a quality probiotic yogurt.Check the Label for Probiotic or Live BacteriaAll probiotic yogurt, or live yogurt as it is also sold, contains live probiotic bacteria. To determine whether the probiotic yogurt you are looking at is live, look on the label for the words “contains live/active/probiotic” cultures. Only those with words to this effect on the label will contain live probiotics. Watch out for products stating “made with live/active/probiotic cultures”. Such products are likely to have undergone heat-treatment (pasteurization), which kills live bacteria.All probiotic yogurts are made using bacteria from the Lactobaccillus family along with Streptococcus thermophilus. Some probiotic yogurts also contain other strains of live bacteria. Ingesting a large variety of probiotic bacteria potentially increases the health benefits of the product, so the more probiotic species and strains your yogurt contains, the better!Look Out for Added SugarIf you’re like most people you probably prefer your yogurt sweet. Indeed in the United States, most of the yogurt purchased is sweetened with refined or processed sugar. Probiotic yogurt is available though without sugar – look for the “natural”, “plain” and “unsweetened” options. Without the processed and refined sugar, which raises insulin levels, supresses immunity and encourages unhelpful digestive flora, these natural probiotic yogurts are healthier than their sweetened counterparts. Be kind to yourself and try an unsweetened probiotic yogurt.A natural probiotic yogurt will of course taste sour in comparison to a sweetened. To make your transition to plain yogurt easier why not try initially:

Mixing half your usual sweetened yogurt with half a natural probiotic yogurt.Eating your natural probiotic yogurt as a savory dip.Adding honey or a fresh fruit to your natural yogurt.

Choose a Chilled YogurtAlways choose a chilled yogurt as opposed to a frozen one. Beneficial bacteria can survive freezing but frozen yogurt contains far fewer probiotic bacteria than a chilled yogurt. Frozen yogurts also often contain a great deal of sugar. Choose chilled probiotic yogurt over frozen probiotic yogurt every time!Making Probiotic YogurtOf course you can also make your own probiotic yogurt really easily. This way you can ensure your home-made yogurt is completely natural and contains no unneccessary additives. You can also ferment your yogurt for longer periods to ensure that your end product is almost lactose free. Such long fermenting periods produce home-made yogurts especially suitable for people with lactose intolerance, producing a product that much is lower in lactose and thus easier on digestion than commerical yogurts.To make your own yogurt you typically need:

Shallow oven-proof container with lid.Thermometer1 US quart or 1 liter milk. Use either whole milk (3.5% fat), reduced-fat milk(2%) or semi-skimmed milk (1.8% fat).Yogurt starter

Yogurt RecipeTo make your own delicious yogurt:

Heat your milk to approximately 180ºF (82ºC) for fifteen seconds and then cool to 110ºF (43ºC).Mix in half a cup (4 fluid ounces or 8 tablespoons) of commercial plain probiotic yogurt.Stir thoroughly and place in your shallow covered container.Place in an oven heated to 150ºF (66ºC) or in gas oven with pilot light on for twelve hours/overnight. For low-lactose yogurt leave in the oven for twenty-four hours.

Finally you can make your life even simpler by using a yogurt maker. We find this the best way to make home-made yogurt. This no-fuss approach ensures your probiotic yogurt is kept at the right temperature as it ferments. Choose a maker with either individual cups or one large tub. The Yogourmet Electric Yogurt Maker is a bulk yogurt machine suitable for making one or two quarts of yogurt and is also good for those who don’t like too much washing up! If you prefer to make your yogurt in individual jars, then try either the Eurocuisine YM80 Automatic Yogurt Maker or the Cuisipro Donvier Electronic Yogurt Maker.