This
review of research on the health benefits of fiber is divided into the
following sections:
Cancer,
Diabetes, Heart Disease, Overall Health
Cancer
Consumption
Of Resistant Starch May Protect Against Bowel Cancer
Western
diets are typically low in fibre and have been linked with a higher incidence
of bowel cancer. Even though Australians eat more dietary fibre than many other
western countries, bowel cancer is still the second most commonly reported
cancer in Australia with 30 new cases diagnosed every day.
Dr
David Topping, from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship, said this is referred to as
'the Australian paradox'.
"We
have been trying to find out why Australians aren't showing a reduction in
bowel cancer rates and we think the answer is that we don't eat enough
resistant starch, which is one of the major components of dietary fibre,"
Dr Topping said.
Resistant
starch is a component of dietary fibre that resists digestion in the small
intestine and instead passes through to the bowel where it has positive effects
on bowel health. Resistant starch is sometimes called the third type of dietary
fibre (in addition to soluble and insoluble fibre) and is found in legumes,
some wholegrain breads and cereals, firm bananas and cooked and cooled
potatoes, pasta and rice.
These
findings, published in the April, 2012 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, reinforce the fact that
dietary fibre is beneficial for human health, but go further to show that fibre
rich in resistant starch is even better.
"It's
not just the amount of fibre that we eat that's important, but the diversity of
fibre in our diet," Dr Topping said.
"We
studied various sources of resistant starch, including corn and wheat, and the
results suggest they could all protect against DNA damage in the colon, which
is what can cause cancer."
Dr
Trevor Lockett, colorectal cancer researcher with CSIRO's Preventative Health
Flagship, said Australia has one of the highest incidence rates of bowel cancer
in the world.
"Research
suggests that improving our diets could go a long way to reducing our personal
risk of developing this disease, which would also have the follow-on benefit of
reducing healthcare costs associated with bowel cancer.
"These
new studies suggest that increasing the amount of resistant starch in our diets
may be one important step along the path to reducing the burden of bowel
cancer. It takes about 15 years from the time of the first bowel
cancer-initiating DNA damage to the development of full-blown bowel cancer, so
the earlier we improve our diets the better," Dr Lockett said.
The
recommended intake of resistant starch is around 20 grams a day, which is
almost four times greater than a typical western diet provides. Twenty grams is
equivalent to eating three cups of cooked lentils.
"Currently,
it is difficult for Australians to get this much from a typical diet," Dr
Topping said.
"We
have already had success in developing barley with high levels of resistant
starch, and now our focus is on increasing the levels of resistant starch in
commonly consumed grains like wheat. These grains could then be used in breads
and cereals to make it easier for Australians to get enough resistant starch
from their diet."
High
Fiber Diet Prevents Prostate Cancer Progression, Study Shows
A
high-fiber diet may have the clinical potential to control the progression of
prostate cancer in patients diagnosed in early stages of the disease.
The
rate of prostate cancer occurrence in Asian cultures is similar to the rate in
Western cultures, but in the West, prostate cancer tends to progress, whereas
in Asian cultures it does not. Why? A University of Colorado Cancer Center
study published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Cancer Prevention
Research
shows that the answer may be a high-fiber diet.
The
study compared mice fed with of inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), a major component
of high-fiber diets, to control mice that were not. Then the study used MRI to
monitor the progression of prostate cancer in these models.
"The
study's results were really rather profound. We saw dramatically reduced tumor
volumes, primarily due to the anti-angiogenic effects of IP6," says Komal
Raina, PhD, research instructor at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences, working in the lab of CU Cancer Center investigator
and School of Pharmacy faculty member, Rajesh Agarwal, PhD.
Basically,
feeding with the active ingredient of a high-fiber diet kept prostate tumors
from making the new blood vessels they needed to supply themselves with energy.
Without this energy, prostate cancer couldn't grow. Likewise, treatment with
IP6 slowed the rate at which prostate cancers metabolized glucose.
Possible
mechanisms for the effect of IP6 against metabolism include a reduction in a
protein called GLUT-4, which is instrumental in transporting glucose.
"Researchers
have long been looking for genetic variations between Asian and Western peoples
that could explain the difference in prostate cancer progression rates, but now
it seems as if the difference may not be genetic but dietary. Asian cultures
get IP6 whereas Western cultures generally do not," Raina says.
Diabetes
How fiber prevents diabetes and obesity
Most
sweet fruit and many vegetables such as salsify, cabbage or beans, as well as
berries
and other fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts are rich in
so-called fermentable fibers. Such fibers cannot be digested directly by the
intestine but are instead fermented by intestinal bacteria into short-chain
fatty acids such as propionate and butyrate, which can in fact be assimilated
by our bodies. The protective effect of these fibers is well known to
researchers: animals fed a fiber-rich diet become less fat and are less likely
to develop diabetes than animals fed a fiber-free diet.
Whilw
scientists have known for the past twenty years that a fiber-rich diet protects
the organism against obesity and diabetes but the mechanisms involved have so
far eluded them. A French-Swedish team including researchers from CNRS, Inserm
and the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (Unité Inserm 855 “Nutrition et
Cerveau”) has succeeded in elucidating this mechanism, which involves the
intestinal flora and the ability of the intestine to produce glucose between
meals. These results, published in the journal Cell on 9 January 2014, also
clarify the role of the intestine and its associated microorganisms in
maintaining glycaemia. They will give rise to new dietary recommendations to
prevent diabetes and obesity.
Heart Disease
Fiber
protects against cardiovascular disease -- especially in women
Foods
high in fibre provide good protection against cardiovascular disease, and the
effect is particularly marked in women. This is shown in a new study from Lund
University in Sweden.
The
study, which was recently published in the scientific journal PLOS One,
involved the study of the eating habits of over 20 000 residents of the Swedish
city of Malmö, with a focus on the risk of cardiovascular disease. The
importance of 13 different nutrient variables (aspects of fibre, fats, proteins
and carbohydrates) was analysed.
"Women
who ate a diet high in fibre had an almost 25 per cent lower risk of suffering
from cardiovascular disease compared with women who ate a low-fibre diet. In
men the effect was less pronounced. However, the results confirmed that a
high-fibre diet does at least protect men from stroke", says Peter
Wallström, a researcher at Lund University and the primary author of the
article.
The
exact reason for the difference between the sexes is unclear. However, a
probable explanation is that women consume fibre from healthier food sources
than men do. Women ate a lot of fibre in the form of fruit and vegetables,
whereas the most important source of fibre for men was bread.
"The
difference in the results for men and women shows that we need to pay more
attention to gender when we conduct research on diet", says Peter
Wallström.
However,
the researchers did not identify any definite links between the other nutrients
in the study and cardiovascular disease, for example the proportion of
saturated fat or sugar in the diet.
"These
results should be interpreted with a certain amount of caution. Almost everyone
eats more saturated fat than recommended, including the participants in many
other population studies. It is therefore difficult to compare recommended and
high fat intake. Other types of study that have been carried out have shown
that those who limit their fat and sugar intake are at lower risk of
cardiovascular disease", says Peter Wallström.
Peter
Wallström is sceptical of 'extreme' diets and says that the dietary
recommendations from the National Food Administration are good, despite having
received criticism:
"The
National Food Administration's dietary advice, which is based on extensive research,
is well balanced. In the short term, most weight-loss diets achieve their aim
as long as you follow them. However, we know too little about the long-term
effects to be able to recommend more drastic changes to one's diet", says
Peter Wallström.
Data
for the study has been taken from the Malmö Diet and Cancer population study,
which has involved 30 000 Malmö residents since the start of the 1990s. The
participants have given blood samples and detailed information about their
diet.
Fiber-Rich Foods May Cut Your Risk of Heart Disease
Boosting
the amount of fiber in your diet may lower your risk for heart disease, a new
study finds.
"With
so much controversy causing many to avoid carbohydrates and grains, this trial
reassures us of the importance of fiber in the prevention of cardiovascular
disease," said one expert not connected to the study, Dr. Suzanne
Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City.
In
the study, researchers led by Diane Threapleton, of the School of Food Science
and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, in England, analyzed data from the
United States, Australia, Europe and Japan to assess different kinds of fiber
intake.
Her
team looked at total fiber; insoluble fiber (such as that found in whole grains,
potato skins) soluble fiber (found in legumes, nuts, oats, barley); cereal;
fruits and vegetables and other sources.
The
study also looked at two categories of heart disease. One, "coronary heart
disease" refers to plaque buildup in the heart's arteries that could lead
to a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association. The second type
of heart trouble is called "cardiovascular disease" -- an umbrella
term for heart and blood vessel conditions that include heart attack, stroke,
heart failure and other problems, the AHA explains.
The
more total, insoluble, and fruit and vegetable fiber that people consumed, the
lower their risk of both types of heart disease, the study found. Increased
consumption of soluble fiber led to a greater reduction in cardiovascular
disease risk than coronary heart disease risk. Meanwhile, cereal fiber reduced
the risk of coronary heart disease more than the risk of cardiovascular
disease, researchers found.
For
every additional 7 grams per day of fiber consumed, there was a significantly
lower risk of both types of disease, according to the study published online
Dec. 19 in BMJ.
Sports
dietitian Dana Angelo White said the findings are in line with what
nutritionists have long known about the importance of a high-fiber diet.
"The
tricky part is finding ways to get Americans to eat more [fiber]," said
White, who is also an assistant clinical professor at Quinnipiac University in
Hamden, Conn. "The daily recommendation ranges from 20 to 38 grams per
day. This may seem like a tall order for most folks, but can be achieved by
making some small dietary changes."
The
British study found that adding just 7 grams per day of fiber to the diet
boosts heart health. According to White, people can get that amount of fiber
from the following:
*
1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal (7 grams)
*
1 1/4 cups of shredded wheat cereal (8 grams)
*
Two slices of whole-wheat bread (6 to 7 grams)
*
One large pear (8 grams)
*
1 cup raspberries (8 grams)
*
1/2 cup black beans (7.5 grams)
The
study authors said their findings support current recommendations for increased
fiber intake and that the reduced heart disease risk associated with consuming
more fiber could potentially benefit "many thousands" of people,
according to a journal news release.
Steinbaum added that "it's critical that people
understand that whole grains -- such as barley, bulgur, millet, quinoa, brown
rice, rye, oats and whole wheat, along with fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds
-- are part of a heart-healthy diet."
Study
strengthens link between low dietary fiber intake and increased cardiovascular
risk
A
new study published in the December, 2013 issue of The American Journal of
Medicine shows a
significant association between low dietary fiber intake and cardiometabolic
risks including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular inflammation, and obesity.
Surveillance data from 23,168 subjects in the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2010 was used to examine the role dietary
fiber plays in heart health.
In
the current study investigators have taken a closer look at possible sex, age,
racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in dietary fiber consumption, as
well as examined the association between dietary fiber intake and various
cardiometabolic risk factors.
Dietary
fiber, which previous studies have shown may assist in lowering blood pressure,
cholesterol levels, and inflammation, is thought to play an important role in
reducing cardiovascular risk. Despite this knowledge, investigators found that
dietary fiber intake was consistently below recommended intake levels for
NHANES participants.
The
Institute of Medicine defines recommended intake levels according to age and
sex: 38g per day for men aged 19-50 years, 30g per day for men 50 and over, 25g
for women aged 19-50 years, and 21g per day for women over 50. Using data from
NHANES 1999-2010, the study reveals that the mean dietary fiber intake was only
16.2g per day across all demographics during that time period.
"Our
findings indicate that, among a nationally representative sample of nonpregnant
US adults in NHANES 1999-2010, the consumption of dietary fiber was
consistently below the recommended total adequate intake levels across survey
years," says senior investigator Cheryl R. Clark, MD, ScD, Center for
Community Health and Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard
Medical School, Boston. "Our study also confirms persistent differences in
dietary fiber intake among socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic
subpopulations over time."
The
research team found variations according to race and ethnicity, with
Mexican-Americans consuming higher amounts of dietary fiber and non-Hispanic
blacks consuming lower amounts of dietary fiber compared with non-Hispanic
whites.
The
study highlights the importance of increasing dietary fiber intake for US
adults by showing a correlation between low dietary fiber and an increased risk
for cardiovascular risk. Participants with the highest prevalence of metabolic
syndrome, inflammation, and obesity were in the lowest quintile of dietary
fiber intake.
"Overall,
the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and obesity each
decreased with increasing quintiles of dietary fiber intake," comments
Clark. "Compared with participants in the lowest quintile of dietary fiber
intake, participants in the highest quintile of dietary fiber intake had a
statistically significant lower risk of having the metabolic syndrome,
inflammation, and obesity."
This
new data analysis emphasizes the importance of getting adults across diverse
ethnicities to increase their dietary fiber intake in order to try and mitigate
the risk for cardiovascular damage.
"Low
dietary fiber intake from 1999-2010 in the US and associations between higher
dietary fiber and a lower prevalence of cardiometabolic risks suggest the need
to develop new strategies and policies to increase dietary fiber intake,"
adds Clark. "Additional research is needed to determine effective clinical
and population-based strategies for improving fiber intake trends in diverse
groups."
Eating
more fiber may lower risk of first-time stroke
Study
Highlights:
-
Eating foods with more fiber was linked to a lower risk of first-time stroke.
-
Every seven-gram increase in total dietary fiber was associated with a 7
percent lower risk of first-time stroke.
-
The results reinforce the importance of a diet that includes at least 25 grams
of fiber daily.
Eating
more fiber may decrease your risk of first-time stroke, according to new
research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
Dietary
fiber is the part of the plant that the body doesn’t absorb during digestion.
Fiber can be soluble, which means it dissolves in water, or insoluble.
Previous research has
shown that dietary fiber may help reduce risk factors for stroke, including
high blood pressure and high blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
“bad” cholesterol.
In
the new study, researchers found that each seven-gram increase in total daily
fiber intake was associated with a 7 percent decrease in first-time stroke
risk. One serving of whole wheat pasta, plus two servings of fruits or
vegetables, provides about 7 grams of fiber, researchers said.
“Greater
intake of fiber-rich foods – such as whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts
– are important for everyone, and especially for those with stroke risk factors
like being overweight, smoking and having high blood pressure,” Diane
Threapleton, M.Sc., and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds’ School of
Food Science & Nutrition in Leeds, United Kingdom.
Researchers
analyzed eight studies published between 1990-2012. Studies reported on all
types of stroke with four specifically examining the risk of ischemic stroke,
which occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel to the brain. Three assessed
hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel bleeds into the brain or
on its surface.
Findings
from the observational studies were combined and accounted for other stroke
risk factors like age and smoking.
The
results were based on total dietary fiber. Researchers did not find an
association with soluble fiber and stroke risk, and lacked enough data on
insoluble fiber to make any conclusions.
The
average daily fiber intake among U.S. adults is lower than the American Heart
Association’s recommendation of at least 25 grams per day. Six to eight
servings of grains and eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables can
provide the recommended amount.
Most
people do not get the recommended level of fiber, and increasing fiber may
contribute to lower risk for strokes,” Threapleton said. “We must educate
consumers on the continued importance of increasing fiber intake and help them
learn how to increase fiber in their diet.”
In the United States, stroke is the fourth leading cause
of death, killing more than 137,000 people annually. Among survivors, the
disease is a leading cause of disability.
In addition to following a
nutritious diet, the American Heart Association recommends being physically
active and avoiding tobacco to help prevent stroke and other heart and blood
vessel diseases.\\
Overall Health
Increase dietary fiber,
decrease disease
We should all be eating
more dietary fiber to improve our health - that's the message from a health
review by scientists in India. The team has looked at research conducted into
dietary fiber during the last few decades across the globe and now suggests
that to avoid initial problems, such as intestinal gas and loose stool, it is
best to increase intake gradually and to spread high-fiber foods out throughout
the day, at meals and snacks. Writing in the International Journal of Food
Safety, Nutrition and Public Health,
the team offers fruit, vegetables, whole-grain foods, such as muesli and
porridge, beans and pulses, as readily available foods rich in dietary fiber.
Dietary fiber, also known
as roughage, is the general term of the non-digestible parts of the fruit and
vegetable products we eat. There are two forms soluble and insoluble. Soluble
(prebiotic, viscous) fiber that is readily broken down or fermented in the
colon into physiologically active byproducts and gases. The second form is
insoluble fiber, which is metabolically inert, but absorbs water as it passes
through the digestive system, providing bulk for the intestinal muscles to work
against and easing defecation.
Vikas Rana of the Rain
Forest Research Institute, in Assam, India, and colleagues point out that
research has shown that modern food habits have, it seems, led to an increase
in the incidence of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes.
These are growing more common even in developing nations where a
"western" diet of highly processed foods, high in sugars and
saturated fats, beef and dairy products and low in dietary fiber is displacing
more traditional options. The team suggests that evidence points to a loss of
dietary fiber in the diet as being a major risk factor for health problems but
one of the simplest to remedy without recourse to major changes in diet or the
addition of supplements or so-called functional foods and nutraceuticals to the
diet.
Given that dietary fiber
has physiological actions such as reducing cholesterol and attenuating blood
glucose, maintaining gastrointestinal health, and positively affecting calcium
bioavailability and immune function, it is important for the current generation
and future generations that this component of our diets be reasserted through
education and information.
"Consuming adequate
quantities of DF can lead to improvements in gastrointestinal health, and
reduction in susceptibility to diseases such as diverticular disease, heart
disease, colon cancer, and diabetes. Increased consumption has also been
associated with increased satiety and weight loss," the team concludes.
Given the ready availability particularly in the West and in the relatively
richer parts of the developing world of vegetables, fruit and other foods high
in dietary fiber it is a matter of recommending that people eat more dietary
fiber rather than consistently taking the unhealthy low-fiber option throughout
their lives.
Fiber intake associated
with reduced risk of death
Dietary fiber may be
associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious and
respiratory diseases, as well as a reduced risk of death from any cause over a
nine-year period, according to a report posted online today that will be
published in the June 14, 2011 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine,
one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Fiber, the edible part of
plants that resist digestion, has been hypothesized to lower risks of heart
disease, some cancers, diabetes and obesity, according to background
information in the article. It is known to assist with bowel movements, reduce
blood cholesterol levels, improve blood glucose levels, lower blood pressure,
promote weight loss and reduce inflammation and bind to potential
cancer-causing agents to increase the likelihood they will be excreted by the
body.
Yikyung Park, Sc.D., of
the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Md., and colleagues analyzed data
from 219,123 men and 168,999 women in the National Institutes of Health-AARP
Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at
the beginning of the study in 1995 and 1996. Causes of death were determined by
linking study records to national registries.
Participants' fiber intake
ranged from 13 to 29 grams per day in men and from 11 to 26 grams per day in
women. Over an average of nine years of follow-up, 20,126 men and 11,330 women
died. Fiber intake was associated with a significantly decreased risk of total
death in both men and women—the one-fifth of men and women consuming the most
fiber (29.4 grams per day for men and 25.8 grams for women) were 22 percent
less likely to die than those consuming the least (12.6 grams per day for men
and 10.8 grams for women).
The risk of
cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases was reduced by 24 percent
to 56 percent in men and 34 percent to 59 percent in women with high fiber
intakes. Dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources such as fruits,
was associated with reduced risks of total, cardiovascular, cancer and
respiratory disease deaths in men and women.
"The findings
remained robust when we corrected for dietary intake measurement error using
calibration study data; in fact, the association was even stronger with
measurement error correction," the authors write.
"The current Dietary
Guidelines for Americans recommend choosing fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and
whole grains frequently and consuming 14 grams per 1,000 calories of dietary
fiber," the authors conclude. "A diet rich in dietary fiber from
whole plant foods may provide significant health benefits."
Soluble fiber, exercise
reduce belly fat
All fat is not created
equal. Unsightly as it is, subcutaneous fat, the fat right under the skin, is
not as dangerous to overall health as visceral fat, the fat deep in the belly
surrounding vital organs.
According to a new study
by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the way to zero in and
reduce visceral fat is simple: eat more soluble fiber from vegetables, fruit
and beans, and engage in moderate activity.
The study found that for
every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced
by 3.7 percent over five years. In addition, increased moderate activity
resulted in a 7.4 percent decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation
over the same time period.
"We know that a
higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes
and fatty liver disease," said Kristen Hairston, M.D., assistant professor
of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist and lead researcher on the study.
"Our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big health
impact."
Ten grams of soluble fiber
can be achieved by eating two small apples, one cup of green peas and one-half
cup of pinto beans; moderate activity means exercising vigorously for 30
minutes, two to four times a week, Hairston added.
In the longitudinal study,
published in the June 16, 20111 online issue of the journal Obesity, researchers examined whether lifestyle factors, such
as diet and frequency of exercise, were associated with a five-year change in
abdominal fat of African Americans and Hispanic Americans, populations at a
disproportionally higher risk for developing high blood pressure and diabetes
and accumulating visceral fat.
At the beginning of the
study, which involved 1,114 people, the participants were given a physical
exam, an extensive questionnaire on lifestyle issues, and a CT scan, the only
accurate way to measure how much subcutaneous and visceral fat the participants
had. Five years later, the exact same process was repeated.
Researchers found that
increased soluble fiber intake was associated with a decreased rate of
accumulated visceral fat, but not subcutaneous fat.
"There is mounting
evidence that eating more soluble fiber and increasing exercise reduces
visceral or belly fat, although we still don't know how it works,"
Hairston said. "Although the fiber-obesity relationship has been
extensively studied, the relationship between fiber and specific fat deposits
has not. Our study is valuable because it provides specific information on how
dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, may affect weight accumulation through
abdominal fat deposits."
Hairston's next study,
expected to be in clinical trials later this summer, will examine whether
increasing soluble fiber with a widely available fiber supplement will produce
similar results to those obtained in this study using soluble fiber from food.
Study shows soluble
fiber boosts immune system
A new University of
Illinois study touts the benefits of soluble fiber—found in oats, apples, and
nuts, for starters—saying that it reduces the inflammation associated with
obesity-related diseases and strengthens the immune system.
"Soluble fiber
changes the personality of immune cells—they go from being pro-inflammatory,
angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us recover faster
from infection," said Gregory Freund, a professor in the U of I's College
of Medicine and a faculty member in the College of Agriculture, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences' Division of Nutritional Sciences.
This happens because
soluble fiber causes increased production of an anti-inflammatory protein
called interleukin-4, he said.
The study will appear in
the May 2010 issue of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and is available online.
In the experiment,
laboratory mice consumed low-fat diets that were identical except that they
contained either soluble or insoluble fiber. After six weeks on the diet, the
animals had distinctly different responses when the scientists induced illness
by introducing a substance (lipopolysaccharide) that causes the body to mimic a
bacterial infection.
"Two hours after
lipopolysaccharide injection, the mice fed soluble fiber were only half as sick
as the other group, and they recovered 50 percent sooner. And the differences
between the groups continued to be pronounced all the way out to 24
hours," said Christina Sherry, who also worked on the study.
"In only six weeks,
these animals had profound, positive changes in their immune systems," she
said.
Now Freund has a new
question: Could soluble fiber offset some of the negative effects of a high-fat
diet, essentially immunizing obese persons against the harmful effects of fat?
Scientists have long known
that obesity is linked to inflammatory conditions, such as diabetes and heart
disease.
Yet, in a recent study,
the U of I scientists demonstrated that fat tissue produces hormones that
appear to compensate for this inflammation. "There are significant
anti-inflammatory components in fat tissue and, if they were strategically
unleashed, they could potentially protect obese people from further
inflammatory insults, such as a heart attack or stroke. In obese animals, you
can see the body compensating in an effort to protect itself," he said.
Not all fat is bad, the
researcher noted. The Mediterranean diet, which receives high marks for its
health benefits, includes such foods as olive oil; salmon, tuna, sardines, and
trout, which contain important omega-3 and -6 fatty acids; and plant sources of
fat, such as flaxseed.
"Now we'd like to
find a way to keep some of the anti-inflammatory, positive effects that develop
over time with a high-fat diet while reducing that diet's negative effects,
such as high blood glucose and high triglycerides. It's possible that
supplementing a high-fat diet with soluble fiber could do that, even delaying
the onset of diabetes," he said.
This study is one of the
first to provide two valuable lessons, said Sherry. The first, already noted,
is that soluble fiber has direct anti-inflammatory effects and builds up the
immune system. The second is that the amount of soluble fiber necessary to
achieve these health benefits is a reasonable, not a pharmacological, amount.
The recommended daily
dietary recommendation is 28 to 35 grams of total fiber, but most of the FDA's
health claims are for insoluble fiber, and that's where things get a bit
complicated, she said.
"Not all fiber is
created equal, although you wouldn't know that by reading nutrition
labels," said Sherry. "Most manufacturers don't tell you how much of
each type of fiber a food contains, and we think it's important that this
information be included on a product's packaging."
Good sources of soluble
fiber are oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, lentils, citrus fruits, apples,
strawberries, and carrots. "We used a citrus-based pectin in our
study," Sherry said.
Insoluble fiber, found in
whole wheat and whole-grain products, wheat bran, and green, leafy vegetables,
is also valuable for providing bulk and helping food move through the digestive
system, but it doesn't provide the boost to the immune system that soluble
fiber provides.
Apple fiber offers many benefits
A
report, in the journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
March
2010 finds that apple fiber, a soluble type of fiber, is rich in pectin.
Soluble or gel-forming fibers absorb water from the digestive tract. This helps
to increase the size of the stool and normalize its transit time through the
bowel. Soluble fiber can be beneficial in cases of constipation and diarrhea.
Having adequate fiber in the diet may also have a protective effect against
diverticulosis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. Studies have
shown that apple fiber, when used as part of a calorie-controlled diet, can
enhance weight loss.
Similarly,
a study conducted to visualize the effect of apple fiber on lowering of
increased plasma and liver cholesterol, it was found that apple fiber or pectin
substantially reduces the same when fed at 2.5% or 5% in the diet (Wells and
Ershoff 1961).
Apple
fiber has a mild appetite suppressing effect by producing a sense of fullness;
it also improves the process of digestion and elimination by stimulating
healthy bowel functioning.
The pectin in apple fiber
helps to normalize the levels of fats in the blood stream. Research has shown
that apple fiber taken each day can have the effect of reducing total
cholesterol up to 10% in people with elevated cholesterol levels
(http://au.health.yahoo.com/041101.)
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