raffinose and Gastroenteritis

Consumption of pulses is recommended to improve diet quality and decrease the risk of chronic disease. However, their constituent α-galactosides, including raffinose, are commonly thought to contribute to unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.. Using a random crossover design, healthy adults (n = 12) received control foods, control foods with 5 g raffinose, and foods with 200 g of canned chickpea (11 g fibre per day), each for three weeks following a 3-day diet rotation. Gastrointestinal symptoms (rating 0 = none to 3 = severe), compliance, and stool frequency were recorded daily.. No change in daily stool frequency (mean ± SD) was found with chickpea (1.7 ± 0.3) or raffinose (1.7 ± 0.4) compared with control (1.5 ± 0.3). Reported flatulence (mean ± SD) was rated higher with chickpea (1.0 ± 0.2, P < 0.001) and raffinose (0.7 ± 0.2, P < 0.001) compared with control (0.4 ± 0.1). Although bloating was infrequent, ratings were higher with chickpea (0.2 ± 0.1, P < 0.001) and raffinose (0.3 ± 0.1, P < 0.001) compared with control (0.0). No differences were found for diarrhea or abdominal pain.. As gastrointestinal symptoms were mild for most participants, canned chickpea may be a feasible way of increasing pulse intake and improving overall diet quality.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cicer; Cross-Over Studies; Dietary Fiber; Female; Flatulence; Food, Preserved; Functional Food; Gastric Mucosa; Gastroenteritis; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Male; Patient Compliance; Raffinose; Seeds; Severity of Illness Index; Single-Blind Method; Young Adult