COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING INDIGESTIBLE OLIGOSACCHARIDES FOR REDUCING THE DURATION OF DIARRHEA

摘要

A method is provided for reducing the duration of diarrhea and recurrent episodes of diarrhea in humans by enterally administering indigestible oligosaccharides prophylactically. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method using indigestible oligosaccharides or fructooligosaccharides (FOS) to reduce the duration and recurrence of diarrhea in a human wherein between 0.5 grams and 5 grams of at least one FOS selected from the group consisting of 1-kestose, nystose, and 1F- beta -fructofuranosyl nystose is administered to said human per day. The indigestible oligosaccharides can be produced through enzymatic synthesis, chemical techniques or isolated from plant materials and are administered in the form of a nutritional product, candy, tablets, chewing gum, lozenges, milk, yogurts, fermented products and the like.