TABLE 9.
Clinical trials that studied galactooligosaccharide consumption in adults without gastrointestinal disease1
| Study | Population | Design | Duration | Dose | Control (vehicle) | Treatment (vehicle) | Assessment | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schaafsma, 2021 (105) | Healthy adults in the Netherlands (n = 69), 30–50 y, BMI 19.5–25 | Double blind randomized, placebo controlled, crossover | 9 wk | 5.2 g/d | Skim milk powder (powder mixed in water) | Biotis GOS dairy test product (powder mixed in water) | Tolerability (flatulence, nausea, bloating) | No differences in tolerability |
| Walton, 2012 (103) | Healthy adults in the United Kingdom (n = 37; 21 F, 16 M), 50–81 y, BMI 19.7–38.4 | Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover | 3-wk treatments, 3-wk washouts | 8 g/d | None (orange juice) | Friesland Campina Vivinal GOS (orange juice) | Stool frequency | No difference in stool frequency between treatments |
| Ito, 1990 (107) | Healthy males in Japan (n = 12), 26–48 y | Single blind, crossover | 7 d/period | 2.5, 5, 10 g/d | None (apple juice) | Oligomate-50 GOS (apple juice) | Stool weight, frequency, diarrhea | 10 g/d GOS did not change stool weight and frequency or lead to diarrhea compared with control |
| Davis, 2010 (106) | Healthy adults in the United States (n = 18; 5 F, 13 M), 19–50 y | Single-blind | 16 wk (2-wk baseline, each dose 3 wk, 2-wk washout) | 2.5, 5, 10 g/d | None (chocolate chews) | GTC Nutrition Purimune GOS (chocolate chews) | Bowel movements, stool consistency, discomfort, flatulence, abdominal pain, bloating | No difference in stool frequency or tolerance symptoms |
| Van den Heuvel, 2000 (104) | Females in the Netherlands (n = 12) in postmenopause, 55–65 y, BMI 20.7–32.4 | Double blind, randomized, crossover | Two 9-d treatments, 19-d washout | 20 g/d | Sucrose (yogurt drink) | Borculo Domo Ingredients Elix'or T-GOS (yogurt drink) | Reported gastrointestinal adverse effects | 20 g/d T-GOS did not lead to any adverse side effects (gastrointestinal complaints or stool changes) compared with control |
1
BMI is presented as kg/m2. B-GOS, bimuno-galactooligosaccharides; GOS, galactooligosaccharides; T-GOS, transgalactooligosaccharides.