Xylo-Oligosaccharides

Also known as: XOS

Safety Rating: 

(For explanations of what these safety ratings mean, click here) 

Potential side effects

Belching

Bloating

Diarrhea

Flatulence

Nausea/vomiting

Stomach pain

Overview

What is it? Oligosaccharides are chains of certain sugar molecules. Xylooligosaccharide is a chain of xylose. It is a PREbiotic, meaning it feeds the PRObiotics (“good” bacteria) in the intestines without feeding the “bad” bacteria.

Why is it used? Prebiotics are mostly found in products that claim to “improve digestive health” and “boost the immune system.”

What’s the harm? 

If this product actually does “boost the immune system”, that could be harmful to people who require immune-weakening drugs to control their auto-immune disorders.

At the moment, there is very little safety information about XOS. There is no well-established maximum dose, and the effects of XOS on most health conditions in unknown. Amounts of 1-4 grams/day are LIKELY SAFE for healthy adults, but there is not enough information to determine safety for children, or patients who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Interactions with health conditions

Autoimmune disorders: People with autoimmune disorders are suffering from an over-active or misguided immune system attacking their own body. Many of these conditions are controlled by using medications that weaken the immune system. Any product that strengthens the immune system would potentially make these patients’ symptoms worse. Examples include:

• Crohns
• Lupus
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Drug Interactions

Immunosuppressants: Patients taking immunosuppressant drugs may be at risk of infection from taking probiotics. Examples:

Adalimumab (Humira)

Azathioprine (Imuran)

Cisplatin (Platinol)

Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)

Tacrolimus (Prograf)

Interactions with herbs/supplements: None known

Interactions with foods: None Known

Interactions with lab tests: None Known

References

*Natural Medicines. (2019, January 29). Fructo-Oligosaccharide [Monograph]. Natural Standard Professional Monograph. Retrieved from: https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/databases/food,-herbs-supplements/professional.aspx?productid=450

*Ma, R., Bai, Y., Huang, H., Luo, H., Chen, S., Fan, Y., ... & Yao, B. (2017). Utility of thermostable xylanases of Mycothermus thermophilus in generating prebiotic xylooligosaccharides. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 65(6), 1139-1145. Retrieved 03/2019: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b05183 

A Linares-Pasten, J., Aronsson, A., & Nordberg Karlsson, E. (2018). Structural considerations on the use of endo-xylanases for the production of prebiotic xylooligosaccharides from biomass. Current Protein and Peptide Science, 19(1), 48-67. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5738707/  

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