Studies on the influene of Dietary factors and Bacteriostatic Agents on the Insestinal Synthesis of Thiamine

Abstract

The role of certain specific forms of bacteria present in the intestines of man and animals remained obscure until very recently. The vast amount of research carried out has now adduced convincing evidence that these bacteria have a definite function to play. They help man and animals in synthesising certain of the accessory food factors when these are lacking in the diet. It has been established that dietary factors produce a pronounced effect in modifying the type of intestinal flora. Thus, a diet rich in carbohydrate tends to produce an acidophilic type of bacteria, while a high protein diet gives rise to a proteolytic type of intestinal flora in animals.

From the above considerations, it may be seen that synthesis of vitamins by the intestinal flora is of very great importance to the host, and a working knowledge of the variety of conditions under which the right type of bacteria are developed would, in addition to contributing to the advancement of the subject, help the nutritionists and dietitians in formulating diets which would help the host to synthesise the maximum amount of these vitamins.

The present thesis deals with the work carried out by the author on some aspects of studies relating to the influence of dietary factors on the intestinal synthesis of vitamin B.

A fairly extensive review of the literature pertaining to the subject, along with the scope of the present investigation, is given in the Introduction.

The experimental techniques and methods and materials employed in the investigation have been described in detail.

The effect of ingestion of sulphaguanidine along with curds on the type of intestinal flora, as well as the bacterial synthesis of thiamine, has been investigated and a detailed discussion of the results in the light of the data obtained has been given.

The continued effects of feeding curds and the effects of alternate feeding of curds and sulphaguanidine on the coliform organisms and thiamine synthesis have been followed and the results have been interpreted on the basis of the data.

The comparative nutritive values of different fats (in combination with different carbohydrates) have been studied in the light of their capacity to provide a favourable medium for bacterial synthesis of thiamine, and the implications of the results have been discussed.

The influence of penicillin on the intestinal bacteria and thiamine synthesis in rats has been investigated and a plausible explanation for the results obtained has been offered.

The effects of proteins of different quality on the bacterial flora and thiamine synthesis have been studied and the role of protein in the bacterial synthesis of thiamine has been indicated.

The comparative efficiencies of the various typical Indian dietaries in developing a favourable type of intestinal flora and synthesising thiamine have been studied and the nutritive values of the dietaries have been compared on the basis of the data.

In view of the fact that curd-feeding has led to very pronounced synthesis of B by producing a preponderance of coliform organisms, it was felt desirable to assess the benefit derived by humans when given curds. The thiamine nutritional status of curd-fed convent children was assessed by four criteria and a possible correlation between the intestinal thiamine synthesis due to curds and the thiamine nutritional status has been pointed out.