Prebiotic chicory root fiber: nutrition beyond digestive health

There is a symbiotic relationship between a pet and its microbiome: the population of micro-organisms living in the large intestinal tract.

Pets’ intestines

Prebiotics, such as Orafti® Inulin and Oligofructose, are soluble fibers that resist digestion hydrolysis by mammalian enzymes. They reach the intestine of the cat or dog, where prebiotics nourish the pet’s natural microbiota and thereby improve its composition.

In essence, inulin and oligofructose are fermentable carbohydrates that trigger specific changes both in the composition and activity of the good microbiota residing in pets’ intestines, like Bifidobacterium spp., by selectively stimulating their growth and proliferation.

Additionally, their fermentation by select microbiota results in the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). The main SCFA produced are acetate, propionate and butyrate. These fatty acids decrease the lumen pH, and serve as an energy source for the epithelial cells in the large intestine, with butyrate being the primary source.

Absorption of minerals supports bone health

The absorption of minerals is essential to the animal’s growth and bone strength. By reducing the luminal pH and nurturing intestinal mucosa with butyrate, gut absorbency is boosted. Oligofructose increases mineral uptake in dogs, including calcium, and therefore supports bone health.

Reduction in energy intake and body weight management

Overweight and obesity are common in companion animals. More than 50% of dogs kept as pets in the US are classified as overweight or obese (source: Association for Pet Obesity Prevention). Initial studies show that including chicory root fibers can curb appetite in both dogs and cats. It also helps improve satiety and hence decreases voluntary food intake. In doing so, chicory root fibers help to maintain the healthy body condition of a pet.

Blood glucose management and second meal effect

Chicory Inulin and Oligofructose are non-digestible carbohydrates and dietary fibers. They do not trigger a rise in postprandial blood glucose or insulin concentrations. This makes them suitable for diabetic pets. What’s more, studies in dogs have shown that feeding chicory prebiotics can reduce blood sugar response after a meal. This benefit can be extended to a subsequent meal taken hours later: the so-called second meal effect.

Dietary comfort and feces odor reduction

Also, by specifically feeding and stimulating the growth of beneficial saccharolytic bacteria, like Bifidobacteria – at the expense of other proteolytic bacteria – chicory prebiotics extend saccharolytic fermentation and reduce proteolytic metabolism. This is believed to help reduce undesirable odorous feces.