2.1. Materials
The agave fructans used in this study as a source of prebiotic dietary fiber were obtained through a patented process (Mx/a/2015/016512) at CEPROBI, Polytechnic National Institute. It involved extracting a purified powder from The functional food provided for this study consisted of a prebiotic jelly (GelyfunThese products were only distinguishable by the designated ID codes assigned by the “Alimentos BEA” company, which were undisclosed to the doctors and patients involved in the study. Detailed nutritional information regarding the prebiotic jelly, including the jellies given to the placebo and test groups, is presented in 