Breath hydrogen and methane excretion produced by commercial beverages containing dietary fiber

Soft drinks containing dietary fiber are popular in Japan. There seem to be two types, one containing polydextrose and the other, oligosaccharide. These beverages are claimed to be useful for constipation or obesity, but data are scanty. We examined four such fiber-containing beverages Fibe-mini Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (Tokyo, Japan), Seni and Oligo Takeda Food Engineering (Osaka, Japan), Oligo CC (Calpis Food Engineering, Tokyo, Japan), and Sapitus 5289 Nakakita Pharmaceuticals (Nagoga, Japan)] for large intestine fermentability by measuring breath hydrogen (H₂) and methane (CH₄). Five healthy subjects (two men, three women, 22–48 years old) participated in the study. Breath H₂ and CH₄ were measured with a MicroLyzer (Quintron Instruments, Milwaukee, Wis.). Breath H₂ increased within 2h of beverage consumption, but CH₄ excretion was observed in only two subjects. Orocecal transit time was constant for all beverages. Total H₂ plus CH₄ excretion (AUC; area under the curve) after lactulose was 1294±250ppm × min/g fiber. AUC for Oligo CC was significantly greater than that for Fibe-mini or Sapitus 5289 (P<0.05). The AUCs of Fibe-mini, Seni and Oligo, Oligo CC, and Sapitus 5289 were 41%, 129%, 174%, and 40%, respectively, that of lactulose. It is concluded that commercial fiber-containing drinks produce H₂, and CH₄ in some people. Oligosaccharide produces more H₂ and CH₄ than polydextrose.