Abstract
A combination of the polysaccharide ethyl-hydroxyethyl-cellulose (EHEC) and the surfactant sodium-dodecylsulphate (SDS) has the extraordinary physical property of being liquid at room temperature but gelling firmly at 37 degrees C. It has been named 'liquid fibre' and its effect on gastric emptying has been tested in rats and humans, as well as its effect on intestinal distribution in rats. Rats were gavaged with 5 ml of radiolabelled liquid fibre, SDS in water, or water control. Subgroups were killed after 25, 50, 100, 200, and 300 minutes, the gut removed, and the distribution of radioactivity measured scintigraphically. Liquid fibre gelled in the stomach and spread exponentially down the small intestine before 25 minutes. This distribution was maintained for 200 minutes after which the stomach began to empty again. In the human study, 10 healthy men drank 250 ml liquid fibre and placebo labelled with 1.85 MBq technetium tin colloid on separate occasions. Gastric emptying was measured by gamma-camera. Half emptying time significantly increased from 17.7 to 55.8 minutes (means, p < 0.05). The time for 10% to empty (which includes any lag time) increased from 7.0 to 19.4 minutes (p < 0.05). Average emptying rate decreased from 4.49%/min for placebo to 1.60%/min for liquid fibre (p < 0.01). The dramatic delay in gastric emptying suggests liquid fibre may have clinical applications while its liquid formulation should improve acceptability.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Brown N. J., Worlding J., Rumsey R. D., Read N. W. The effect of guar gum on the distribution of a radiolabelled meal in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat. Br J Nutr. 1988 Mar;59(2):223–231. doi: 10.1079/bjn19880029. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Collins P. J., Horowitz M., Shearman D. J., Chatterton B. E. Correction for tissue attenuation in radionuclide gastric emptying studies: a comparison of a lateral image method and a geometric mean method. Br J Radiol. 1984 Aug;57(680):689–695. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-57-680-689. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Di Lorenzo C., Williams C. M., Hajnal F., Valenzuela J. E. Pectin delays gastric emptying and increases satiety in obese subjects. Gastroenterology. 1988 Nov;95(5):1211–1215. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(88)90352-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gebhard R. L., Albrecht J. The diet pill that worked. N Engl J Med. 1990 Mar 8;322(10):702–702. doi: 10.1056/nejm199003083221019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jenkins D. J., Leeds A. R., Gassull M. A., Cochet B., Alberti G. M. Decrease in postprandial insulin and glucose concentrations by guar and pectin. Ann Intern Med. 1977 Jan;86(1):20–23. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-86-1-20. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Leeds A. R., Ralphs D. N., Ebied F., Metz G., Dilawari J. B. Pectin in the dumping syndrome: reduction of symptoms and plasma volume changes. Lancet. 1981 May 16;1(8229):1075–1078. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)92242-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Miller M. S., Galligan J. J., Burks T. F. Accurate measurement of intestinal transit in the rat. J Pharmacol Methods. 1981 Nov;6(3):211–217. doi: 10.1016/0160-5402(81)90110-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Morse J. M., Malloy W. X. Esophageal obstruction caused by Cal-Ban. Gastroenterology. 1990 Mar;98(3):805–806. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(90)90314-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Trowell H. Definition of dietary fiber and hypotheses that it is a protective factor in certain diseases. Am J Clin Nutr. 1976 Apr;29(4):417–427. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/29.4.417. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wilmshurst P., Crawley J. C. The measurement of gastric transit time in obese subjects using 24Na and the effects of energy content and guar gum on gastric emptying and satiety. Br J Nutr. 1980 Jul;44(1):1–6. doi: 10.1079/bjn19800003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]