Posts Tagged ‘alfalfa’
Fructooligosaccharides: Laxatives
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are soluble fiber composites also known as natural oligosaccharides, are rich in fructose and belong to the family of prebiotics.
They come from insulin and can be found in vegetables such as onions, leeks, chicory, alfalfa, bananas, artichokes, etc. but when used commercially by industry obtained from chicory root or sugar beet.
They are commonly used to accelerate intestinal transit, and eliminate constipation and to maintain the beneficial flora of the colon. In addition there is evidence that these substances improve health in many ways, this is to strengthen the defenses, increasing the bioavailability of minerals, promoting fat metabolism and preventing carcinogenesis in the colon.
But in terms of its benefit in reducing body weight is the thorny issue since there is no research done on humans. All studies were performed in animals in which one could see that the intake of FOS quicken the feeling of satiety which gave an indication that you may get to do the same in people but this has not been adequately demonstrated.
In short, lacking enough research to recommend and affirm the effectiveness of the FOS in the treatment of weight reduction, so the only benefits are guaranteed as described above.