Esterified starch and oral rehydration solution as a treatment for acute infectious diarrhoea

The hypothesis behind the study is that high amylose maize starch acetate, a functional food that delivers acetate and other short chain fatty acids to the colon, will significantly shorten duration of diarrhoea and reduce diarrhoea stool output in patients with acute gastroenteritis. Short chain fatty acids are normally found in the lumen of the colon in high concentrations, being formed there by fermentation of carbohydrate. Reduction of colonic short chain fatty acids in diarrhoea is likely to prolong diarrhoea and slow recovery. High amylose maize starch, naturally found in several corn serovars, reduces diarrhoea in adults and children with gastroenteritis. We hypothesize that high amylose maize starch acetate, that delivers acetate to the colon besides undergoing fermentation to short chain fatty acids, will shorten diarrhoea to a greater extent than high amylose maize starch. In this double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial, adults with diarrhoea and dehydration will receive standard treatment including oral rehydration solution and early feeding, and in addition will receive either high amylose maize starch acetate or high amylose maize starch. Severely dehydrated patients will first receive intravenous fluids for rehydration followed by randomization. Duration of diarrhoea, diarrhoeal stool weight, need for unscheduled intravenous fluids will all be recorded.