Limitations and Strengths
BLOOD
The key limitation of this study was that exposure to individual products did not extend beyond 7 consecutive days. However, in reality, participants were exposed to oligomalt for at least 14 days of the overall 21 days of intervention, i.e., over two study sequences, albeit with different doses and a washout period, which provides reassurance with respect to longer-term tolerability. Additionally, this study was a single-center study, involving a limited number of participants of predominantly Caucasian origin who did not have any underlying health conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease or gastrointestinal issues, at relatively young age. Blood or other biomarkers which could be relevant, e.g., gut microbiota, were also not collected nor analyzed. Furthermore, oligomalt was consumed with water only; whereas in reality, oligomalt will likely be consumed in a complex food matrix, which usually translates to better tolerability [