Supplement
Lactosucrose is a sugar made from lactose and sucrose that resists digestion in the small intestine and serves as food for bacteria in the colon. People mainly look at it for gut bacteria, and the evidence is limited: people with inflammatory bowel disease had more Bifidobacterium after two weeks, and young women's stool acidity and fatty acid profiles shifted in a healthy direction. Most of the work was in animals, and the human studies were tiny.
Sources: PMID 8808426; PMID 17190104
- Updated
- How we grade
- 6 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade C
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 5
- Graded outcomes
- 0023
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
General
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gut Microbiota Composition An uncontrolled clinical study in 7 IBD patients found significant increases in Bifidobacterium and reductions in Bacteroidaceae after 2 weeks of lactosucrose supplementation. A 96-week RCT (n=17) in young women confirmed sustained beneficial changes in fecal pH and short-chain fatty acid profiles. Animal studies in broiler chickens (n=16) and cats (n=8) consistently demonstrate increased Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli with concurrent reductions in putrefactive bacteria (Clostridia, Enterobacteriaceae), fecal ammonia, and indole. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | 24 people | ||
Studies that measured gut microbiota composition
| ||||||
| IBD Symptom Improvement An uncontrolled case series in 7 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (2 Crohn's, 5 ulcerative colitis) found lactosucrose supplementation for 2 weeks significantly increased fecal Bifidobacterium counts and decreased Bacteroidaceae. Bowel movement improvement was observed in 4 of 7 patients, with improvements in fecal pH, short-chain fatty acids, putrid products, and urinary indican levels. No controlled human trials available. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 1 study | 7 people | ||
Studies that measured ibd symptom improvement | ||||||
| Depression Symptoms A 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 20 outpatients with depressive episodes found lactosucrose did not significantly improve MADRS depression scores versus placebo. However, self-efficacy tended to improve in the treatment group with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.802). Microbiome analysis showed individual-level differences in diversity changes. The study was underpowered and the primary endpoint was negative. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 1 study | 20 people | ||
Studies that measured depression symptoms | ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium Absorption A single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled 96-week trial in 17 healthy young women found that 12 g/day lactosucrose significantly reduced fecal calcium excretion and increased apparent calcium absorption and retention compared to placebo. Magnesium and phosphorus absorption were also improved. Effects were maintained throughout the long treatment period. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 1 study | 17 people | ||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allergic IgE Response In OVA-sensitized mice, dietary lactosucrose supplementation produced dose-dependent suppression of anti-ovalbumin IgE responses. Lactosucrose inhibited antigen-specific IgE and IgG1 production even after a second immunization, while splenocytes showed reduced IL-4 and IL-5 production and augmented IL-10 production, suggesting a Th1/Th2 rebalancing effect. No human data available. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 1 study | |||
Studies that measured allergic ige response | ||||||
Key findings
- Gut Microbiota CompositionImproves (the measure goes up)
- Calcium AbsorptionImproves (the measure goes up)
- Allergic IgE ResponseImproves (the measure goes down)
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- Grade C
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Studies cited
6 studies from PubMed
- Effects of 4G-beta-D-Galactosylsucrose in patients with depression: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative study.
- Effects of dietary lactosucrose (4G-beta-D-galactosylsucrose) on the IgE response in mice.
- Long-term administration of 4G-beta-D-galactosylsucrose (lactosucrose) enhances intestinal calcium absorption in young women: a randomized, placebo-controlled 96-wk study.
- Effect of 4G-beta-D-galactosylsucrose (lactosucrose) on fecal microflora in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
- Effects of dietary supplementation with lactosucrose (4G-beta-D-galactosylsucrose) on cecal flora, cecal metabolites, and performance in broiler chickens.
- Effect of lactosucrose (4G-beta-D-galactosylsucrose) on fecal flora and fecal putrefactive products of cats.