A scientist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., has designed a new fiber that may help digestive health, according to a news release.
The fiber, designed by Bruce Hamaker, the Roy L. Whistler Chair in Carbohydrate Science in the Purdue's department of food science, has the potential to decrease the risk of colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and diverticulosis, according to the release.
The fiber, which travels through the large intestine, can be designed to target different locations, enabling the bacteria in the large intestine to receive important nutrients from the fiber. The descending colon in the large intestine is where colon cancer, diverticulitis and ulcerative colitis commonly occur.
"Butyrate, which is produced in high levels by the Purdue-designed fiber, is a beneficial by-product of the fermentation process," said Mr. Hamaker, in the release. "It has an anti-inflammatory effect and is an energy source for the cells that line the colon."
The fiber has been licensed to Nutrabiotix.
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