The amazing power of dietary fiber

MISCONCEPTIONS
Let us first address the most common misconceptions about fiber. It's just for old people, and it just makes you "regular".

So it's not that these statements are completely untrue. Fiber IS good for the elderly. Fiber DOES have a good effect on bowel regularity. However, it's much much more than just those things, so much more than most people understand.

The current system for describing fiber uses two terms, soluble and insoluble. Scientists and nutrition experts are in the process of proposing new terms that more accurately describe fiber impact in the body, with the terms "viscous" and "ferment-able". Soluble (or viscous) types included things such as oat bran, and are known to reduce blood cholesterol levels and assist with normalizing blood sugar levels.

Insoluble (or ferment-able)types include things like wheat bran, and help with bowel regularity. Some fiber sources contain both types. There is one herb which contains 70% soluble and 30% insoluble called psyllium. It is regarded worldwide as one of the best sources of heart-healthy soluble fiber. It is typically labelled as psyllium husk or psyllium fiber in nutritional supplements that incorporate it.

A study published in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) in 1999 concluded

"Fiber consumption predicted insulin levels, weight gain, and other CVD risk factors more strongly than did total or saturated fat consumption. High-fiber diets may protect against obesity and CVD by lowering insulin levels."

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted on men with Type 2 diabetes and mildly elevated cholesterol levels found that those who received 5.1g of psyllium fiber twice daily for 8 weeks had lowered their serum cholesterol levels by 8.9% and their LDL cholesterol level by 13%.

So these studies, and many others, show that daily fiber intake can have a major impact on systemic health in the body, in the digestive system and in the circulatory system.

Let's take a look at HOW fiber accomplishes these important feats.

Reduction of Cholesterol Levels
Viscous fibers help lower the serum cholesterol levels by reducing the intestinal absorption of dietary cholesterol. They also "soak" up bile in the digestive system, forcing the liver to use more cholesterol to produce new bile.

Normalize Blood Sugar
Viscous fibers assist with blood sugar levels by slowing the digestive process and the rate at which food leaves the stomach, and delaying the absorption of glucose following a meal. They also increase insulin sensitivity. Thus increased fiber intake can participate in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Also, since fiber keeps food in the stomach longer, you feel satiated or full longer, which can assist with problems associated with weight gain and overeating.

Bowel Regularity
Contrary to popular belief, fiber is not just "roughage". Fiber does help to bulk up stool production, but that is not the only way that fiber benefits regularity. Fermentable fibers act as food for the healthy culture of bacteria that live in the gut and assist with the digestive process. These healthy bacteria produce necessary short-chain fatty acids, but they also play an important role in the immune system by preventing pathogenic bacteria from surviving the intestinal tract.

Exactly opposite to the way that fiber keeps food in the stomach longer, non-fermentable fiber increases the speed at which waste travels through the intestinal system, and keeps the whole system cleaner and assists with the removal of toxins through the bowels. Bowel regularity is linked with a decreased risk for colon cancer and hemorrhoids.

There are several categories of Dietary fiber.

- Cellulose, found in apples, peas, bran, cabbage
- Hemicellulose, found in bran and whole grains
- Polyfructoses, Inulin and Oligofructans
- Galactooligosaccharides
- Gums, found in oatmeal, barley and legumes
- Mucilages
- Pectins, apples, strawberries and citrus
- Lignin, root veggies, wheat, and fruits with edible seeds
- Resistant starches, ripe bananas, potatoes

Recommendations for daily consumption

The National Academy of Sciences established an Adequate Intake level of 38 grams for males 19-50 and 25 grams for women 19-50. The average intake is less than half those amounts.