The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 127 No. 1 January 1997, pp. 108-116
Copyright ©1997 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

Energy Values of Non-Starch Polysaccharides: Comparative Studies in Humans and Rats

Manuscript received 28 February 1996. Initial reviews completed 1 April 1996. Revision accepted 5 September 1996.

Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Düsternbrooker Weg 17, D-24105 Kiel, Germany and ^* Danish Institute of Animal Science, Department of Nutrition, Research Centre Foulum, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark

Energy values of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) were estimated from NSP fermentability and from digestible energy balances in human subjects and in rats. During four studies, humans consumed four low fiber control diets and six high fiber diets. For the rat diets, duplicates of the foods consumed by humans were mixed together, freeze-dried and ground. Calculated from fermentability, partial digestible energy values of NSP in humans and rats, respectively, were 8.2 ± 1.3 and 5.7 ± 1.2 (P = 0.0013, fruits and vegetables), 11.4 ± 0.7 and 5.7 ± 3.2 (P = 0.0001, citrus fiber), 5.0 ± 2.1 and 2.2 ± 3.3 (P = 0.0429, barley fiber at high protein intake), 4.4 ± 1.8 and 2.4 ± 2.0 (P = 0.0561, barley fiber at low protein intake), 6.7 ± 1.4 and 7.6 ± 1.2 (P = 0.296, coarse whole meal rye bread), and 7.1 ± 0.6 and 6.1 ± 1.7 (P = 0.157, fine whole meal rye bread) kJ/g NSP. Calculated from energy balances, partial digestible energy values of NSP in humans and rats, respectively, were 2.1 ± 3.5 and -5.0 ± 4.0 (P = 0.026, fruits and vegetables), 10.7 ± 5.1 and 1.4 ± 5.6 (P = 0.003, citrus fiber), 1.6 ± 5.1 and -17.8 ± 8.6 (P = 0.0001, barley fiber at high protein intake), -2.6 ± 4.9 and -9.3 ± 8.2 (P = 0.044, barley fiber at low protein intake), -3.0 ± 7.0 and 0.9 ± 2.5 (P = 0.27, coarse whole meal rye bread), and 0.9 ± 5.1 and 0.6 ± 3.7 (P = 0.89, fine whole meal rye bread) kJ/g NSP. Net energy values were 70% of digestible energy values. Differences between species were significant for NSP in fruits and vegetables, citrus fiber, and barley fiber at high protein intake. Most energy values calculated from energy balances were significantly lower than values calculated from NSP fermentation, with differences being greater in rats than in humans. Thus, the energy values of some types of NSP contained in mixed diets could not be estimated accurately from NSP fermentability either in humans or rats. In addition, our results suggest that the rat is not always a suitable model of humans for predicting energy values of NSP in mixed diets.

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