FOS (FructoOligoSaccharides)

The beneficial sugars

For twenty-five years I’ve been warning people that long-term consumption of sugar is the surest way to create disease. Yet a special sugarlike digestive aid called FOS (fructooligosaccha- rides) may offer some benefits that table sugar could never provide: it might help lower high blood sugar and, equally improbable, aid in preventing cavities.

FOS turns these tricks because it’s not absorbed by the body. Instead it’s fodder for the friendly flora in our intestines. Consuming the compound allows our beneficial bacteria to grow and proliferate. The term applied to such benefactors of probiotics otics is ‘prebiotics’. FOS is the most important of this group. As they flourish, so can our health. Besides controlling cavities and bringing down diabetic blood sugars, FOS may favourably influence blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, according to the small amount of research conducted so far. Again by nourishing the friendly bacteria, it also can alleviate both consti-pation and diarrhoea. I have found FOS a useful treatment for relieving ulcer symptoms.

FOS is found naturally in many fruits and vegetables, including bananas, onions, barley, tomatoes, asparagus and garlic. You cannot obtain a therapeutic amount from food, however, and the presence of other sugars diminishes or negates its effect. For any possible health benefit, you need to ingest a pure extract, either as a syrup or a powder.

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

First-time FOS users should start off slowly. The body needs some time to adjust to it. If the number of beneficial bacteria in your intestines is low, big doses may cause diarrhoea. For a better introduction, begin by taking 1/4 teaspoon daily with a beneficial bacteria supplement. As the good bacteria population increases, you’ll more easily tolerate higher doses.

In the absence of major health problems, keep the daily dosage at 1/4 teaspoon. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, build up to a dose of 1/2-1 teaspoon per day. Ulcer relief may require 1-2 teaspoons daily. Be careful if you have a severe yeast overgrowth; its most characteristic symptom is lower abdominal bloating and the gaseousness that accompanies it. A tiny fraction of FOS’s sugars (up to 3 per cent) will be digested; some people may be extremely sensitive even to that small amount.

To the taste buds, FOS is about half as sweet as other sugars, so it can replace up to half of the sugar specified in many recipes. You’ll discover that the extract, especially the syrup, does a terrific job of keeping foods moist.