Faecal bile acid excretion: molecular mechanisms & dependencies

How nutrients influence it

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Human evidence only

How nutrients reach it in more than one step

Chains of two or more recorded steps that end here, grouped by the nutrient they start from. Each step is a separate finding, so a chain is a route a mechanism could take, not proof that it does.

Tracing routes…

What it does

Every recorded relationship this component is part of, grouped by its role. Plain wording comes first; the technical statement follows.

Recorded relationships

What acts on it

Native oat bran increased median excretion of bile acids by 144%, cholesterol excretion remained unchanged while cholesterol absorption decreased by 19% and the sum of bile acid and cholesterol excretion increased by 40% compared with hydrolysed oat bran, 7-alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one reflecting bile acid synthesis increased by 57% within 24 hours of consumption while serum lathosterol concentration reflecting cholesterol synthesis increased by 12%, and these effects could possibly be explained by entrapment of whole micelles in the gut owing to higher viscosity.
Oat mixed-linkage beta-(1->3)/(1->4)-glucan → Faecal bile acid excretion source_derived_draftungraded
Experimental context and source evidence
availability_state
biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.
evidence_span
{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/17251929.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "96f0086004af03cea2b782fa14daef71ac29df5df3f790a2291fe375151c87b5", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1618, "text_sha256": "96f0086004af03cea2b782fa14daef71ac29df5df3f790a2291fe375151c87b5"}
experimental_model
Crossover ileostomy study in nine volunteers with direct measurement of ileal output
exposure
Seventy-five grams of extruded oat bran cereal daily providing 11.6 grams of native or enzymatically hydrolysed beta-glucans over two 3-day periods
limitations
Nine ileostomy volunteers, which is what makes direct measurement of what leaves the small intestine possible. The comparator is the same material depolymerised, so the difference is attributable to the polymer rather than to the food.
nutrient_topic
Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan
organism
Human
plain_language
The intact polymer swept bile acids out of the small intestine within a day, and the liver started making replacements.
primary_references
[bg-p17251929] Oat bran rapidly increases bile acid excretion and bile acid synthesis: an ileostomy study. (2007). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17251929/ DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602607
tissue_or_cell_type
Terminal ileum and serum
trigger_kind
biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.
Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 541–552
AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Crossover ileostomy study in nine volunteers with direct measurement of ileal output · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft
### bg-viscosity-drives-out-bile-acids Native oat bran increased median excretion of bile acids by 144%, cholesterol excretion remained unchanged while cholesterol absorption decreased by 19% and the sum of bile acid and cholesterol excretion increased by 40% compared with hydrolysed oat bran, 7-alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one reflecting bile acid synthesis increased by 57% within 24 hours of consumption while serum lathosterol concentration reflecting cholesterol synthesis increased by 12%, and these effects could possibly be explained by entrapment of whole micelles in the gut owing to higher viscosity. Condition category: biomarker_context nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: The intact polymer swept bile acids out of the small intestine within a day, and the liver started making replacements. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Terminal ileum and serum experimental_model: Crossover ileostomy study in nine volunteers with direct measurement of ileal output limitations: Nine ileostomy volunteers, which is what makes direct measurement of what leaves the small intestine possible. The comparator is the same material depolymerised, so the difference is attributable to the polymer rather than to the food. exposure: Seventy-five grams of extruded oat bran cereal daily providing 11.6 grams of native or enzymatically hydrolysed beta-glucans over two 3-day periods evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/17251929.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "96f0086004af03cea2b782fa14daef71ac29df5df3f790a2291fe375151c87b5", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1618, "text_sha256": "96f0086004af03cea2b782fa14daef71ac29df5df3f790a2291fe375151c87b5"} [bg-p17251929] Oat bran rapidly increases bile acid excretion and bile acid synthesis: an ileostomy study. (2007). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17251929/ DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602607
Complete structured claim and evidence

Where it participates (unsigned role)

Vitamin B12 malabsorption was most prominent in patients on metformin, and pathological Schilling tests, increased glycocholic acid deconjugation and decreased faecal bile acid excretion normalised or improved after stopping the biguanide or giving antibiotics, suggesting small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth binding the intrinsic-factor-B12 complex.
Metformin → Intestinal cobalamin absorption source_derived_draftungraded
Experimental context and source evidence
availability_state
nutrient_deficiency Imported condition classification; unverified.
evidence_span
{"source_cache": "artifacts/metformin-research/873086.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "1889488dcc83ec22842eccf766b842761a6c10643dbf7d8e6f8308331dfdf01c", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1442, "text_sha256": "1889488dcc83ec22842eccf766b842761a6c10643dbf7d8e6f8308331dfdf01c"}
experimental_model
Breath test, faecal bile acid measurement and Schilling tests in maturity-onset diabetics on biguanides
exposure
Phenformin, buformin or metformin, with antibiotic treatment as a test
limitations
A 1977 study using the Schilling test. It proposes bacterial overgrowth as the mechanism; the antibiotic reversal is suggestive rather than definitive, and it competes with the calcium-dependent explanation.
nutrient_topic
Metformin research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and pharmacological exposure is not dietary intake. · Metformin
organism
Human
plain_language
A second explanation: bacteria in the small bowel take up the vitamin before the body can.
primary_references
[metformin-p873086] Alteration of bile acid metabolism and vitamin-B12-absorption in diabetics on biguanides. (1977). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/873086/ DOI: 10.1007/bf01219698
tissue_or_cell_type
Small intestine
trigger_kind
nutrient_deficiency Imported condition classification; unverified.
Metformin: transport, molecular targets, gut mechanisms and nutrient interactions (2026-09-19) · lines 1165–1176
AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Breath test, faecal bile acid measurement and Schilling tests in maturity-onset diabetics on biguanides · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft
### metformin-b12-bacterial-overgrowth Vitamin B12 malabsorption was most prominent in patients on metformin, and pathological Schilling tests, increased glycocholic acid deconjugation and decreased faecal bile acid excretion normalised or improved after stopping the biguanide or giving antibiotics, suggesting small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth binding the intrinsic-factor-B12 complex. Condition category: nutrient_deficiency nutrient_topic: Metformin research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and pharmacological exposure is not dietary intake. plain_language: A second explanation: bacteria in the small bowel take up the vitamin before the body can. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Small intestine experimental_model: Breath test, faecal bile acid measurement and Schilling tests in maturity-onset diabetics on biguanides limitations: A 1977 study using the Schilling test. It proposes bacterial overgrowth as the mechanism; the antibiotic reversal is suggestive rather than definitive, and it competes with the calcium-dependent explanation. exposure: Phenformin, buformin or metformin, with antibiotic treatment as a test evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/metformin-research/873086.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "1889488dcc83ec22842eccf766b842761a6c10643dbf7d8e6f8308331dfdf01c", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1442, "text_sha256": "1889488dcc83ec22842eccf766b842761a6c10643dbf7d8e6f8308331dfdf01c"} [metformin-p873086] Alteration of bile acid metabolism and vitamin-B12-absorption in diabetics on biguanides. (1977). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/873086/ DOI: 10.1007/bf01219698
Complete structured claim and evidence

The events it takes part in

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Situations it appears in

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In the sources

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Open hypotheses

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This is a research prototype built from draft material. It is not medical advice, and its statements still await verification against the original studies.

Faecal bile acid excretion