According to a study recently completed by the National Institute for Agricultural Research in Nantes, France, a natural prebiotic fiber can have a significant, positive effect on colitis. NutraFlora[r] short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides used in the study reduced the duration and severity of colitis and helped diminish the anorexic effects of the disease. Colitis, which affects more than 2 million people worldwide, causes inflammation and ulceration of the colon and can result in malfunction of the immune system. NutraFlora stimulates growth of probiotics that produce short-chain fatty acids, vital components for activating immunity, and is the only commercially available short-chain prebiotic fiber identical to that found in nature. GTC Nutrition Company, 800-522-4682, www.nutraflora.com