Effect of native and acetylated high amylose maize starch on fecal pH, short chain fatty acid concentrations, and microbiota in a cohort of normal and stunted children in southern India

Normal growth and development in infancy and childhood are intimately linked to an intact intestine and absorptive system. A high prevalence of growth retardation in low-income countries has been linked to a dysfunction of the intestine termed environmental enteropathy (EE). We hypothesized that children living in a contaminated environment would tolerate RS food supplements, that they would ferment the RS to SCFA, and that the supplemental feeds would have an impact on the fecal microbiome. In this study, we thus compared a naturally occurring RS with a modified (acetylated) RS in a crossover manner, and also evaluated the differences between normally growing and stunted children.