Increases in calcium absorption with ingestion of soluble dietary fibre, guar-gum hydrolysate, depend on the caecum in partially nephrectomized and normal rats

Abstract

Effects of feeding soluble dietary fibre on apparent Ca absorption and the contribution of the caecum to Ca absorption were examined in five-sixths nephrectomized (NPX)and normal rats with or without caecectomy in four experiments. It is known that Ca absorption is lowered by renal failure. In the first experiment the amounts of femur Ca increased linearly with increasing dietary Ca up to 3·0 g Ca/kg diet in intact rats. Partial nephrectomy decreased apparent Ca absorption in rats fed on diets containing 30 and 4·5 g Ca/kg diet. In the NPX groups, Ca absorption in rats fed on the diet containing guar-gum hydrolysate (GGH; 50 g/kg diet; 3·0 g Ca/kg diet) was significantly higher than that in rats fed on a fibre-free diet, and the increase in Ca absorption with GGH feeding was completely abolished by caecectomy. Also, ingestion of GGH increased Ca absorption in normal rats, but not in normal, caecectomized rats. Mg absorption was also increased with GGH feeding and was decreased with caecaectomyin NPX and normal rats. In experiments which used caecectomized rats, coprophagy wasprevented with an anal cup to avoid re-ingestion of faecal Ca. We conclude that ingestion of the soluble dietary fibre, GGH, increased apparent Ca absorption in NPX and non-NPX rats, and the caecum was responsible for these increases in Ca absorption.