Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that super-efficient starch absorption, by reducing the supply of carbohydrate to the colon, may be associated with and possibly promote colonic neoplasia. By means of breath hydrogen measurements following a potato meal and comparison with the hydrogen response to lactulose, the amount of starch escaping small bowel absorption was measured in 10 patients who had a colonic adenoma removed endoscopically and in 10 controls. The subjects' consumption of starch and fiber was assessed. Percentage unabsorbed starch was approximately half as much in the patients (5.3%) compared with the controls (10.9%,P<0.05). Consumption of starch and dietary fiber, and mouth-to-cecum transit times were not significantly different. Unabsorbed starch was calculated to contribute to 6.0 g/day colonic carbohydrate in the patients and 10.9 g/day in the controls (P<0.05). This study confirms that unabsorbed starch provides an important quantity of colonic carbohydrate and suggests that super-efficient starch absorption, by reducing this provision, may promote colonic neoplasia.
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Thornton, J.R., Dryden, A., Kelleher, J. et al. Super-efficient starch absorption. Digest Dis Sci 32, 1088–1091 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01300193
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01300193