DIETARY CELLULOSE IMPROVES DECREASED MUSCULAR LAYER WEIGHT OF THE LARGE-INTESTINE IN RATS FED THE DIET CONTAINING POLYDEXTROSE

We compared the effects of dietary polydextrose, cellulose and guar gum on muscular weight of the large intestine in rats and investigated effects of dietary cellulose and kaolin supplemented to the polydextrose diet on the muscular weight of large intestine in rats. Animals were fed the same amount of a diet for either 1 or 5 wk containing 7 g/100 g of polydextrose, cellulose or guar gum, or a diet which was made by mixing 1 part of cellulose or kaolin with 9 parts of the polydextrose (7 g/100 g) diet. The feeding of polydextrose diet for either 1 or 5 wk caused less large intestinal weight and muscular weight of the large intestine compared to the cellulose and guar gum diets. Feeding the kaolin-added polydextrose diet for 1 wk and 5 wk increased large intestinal weight and its muscular weight compared to feeding the polydextrose diet, however the 1 wk feeding was not long enough to increase those to the same level for the cellulose and guar gum dietary groups. Feeding of the cellulose-added polydextrose diet for 1 and 5 wk increased large intestinal weight and its muscular weight up to the same level for the cellulose and guar gum dietary groups. These results indicate that although dietary poly-dextrose decreases the muscular weight of large intestine in rats, supplementation of cellulose to the polydextrose diet can effectively overcome the effect of dietary polydextrose on the muscular weight of large intestine.