Fiber is a carbohydrate that your body is incapable of
digesting. Fiber comes in two varieties, soluble and insoluble, and both are
favorable for your health. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and slows
digestion, helping to lower glucose levels and cholesterol. Insoluble fiber
doesn't dissolve in water and helps move food through your digestive system. In my past posts, I have discussed reducing
blood glucose level and controlling glycemic spike in meal time have the effect
of slowing down the skin aging and regular bowel movement helps with
maintaining a clear skin.
However, most
Americans don't get the daily recommended amount of fiber in their diet, which
is 25 grams of fiber per day for women and 38 grams per
day for men. Now, there is a one
more reason that you should load up with fiber-rich food. A study published on the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition suggests that dietary fibers may assist in weight loss when made part
of a long-term, daily diet.
In the study,
20 healthy men with an average fiber intake of 14 grams a day were given snack
bars to supplement their diet. The control group received bars that contained
no fiber; a second group ate bars that contained 21 grams of polydextrose,
which is a common fiber food additive; and a third group received bars with 21
grams of soluble corn fiber. Fecal
samples were collected from the participants, and DNA was then subjected to whole-genome
shotgun 454 pyrosequencing to examine the full range of bacterial genetic
information in the fecal microbiome.
The results
showed a shift in the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio toward more Bacteroidetes in
the gut microbiome samples from the group with the fiber supplements. This shift is interesting because other
research has shown that the higher the proportion of Bacteroidetes is, the
individual tends to be leaner; in comparison, with higher Firmicutes, that
individual tends to be more obese. Scientists
don't know yet if there is any causality for weight loss, but studies have
shown that having a higher fiber diet is protective against obesity.
It was also observed
that, though there were significant shifts in the gut bacterial populations
with fiber supplements, when the supplements were stopped populations seemed to
go back to where they were before. The
take-home message is that, if you want to make changes to your diet and have a
healthier gut, they need to be everyday changes.
Journal
Reference: H. D. Holscher, J. G. Caporaso, S. Hooda, J. M. Brulc, G. C. Fahey,
K. S. Swanson. Fiber supplementation influences phylogenetic structure and
functional capacity of the human intestinal microbiome: follow-up of a randomized
controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2014; DOI:
10.3945/%u200Bajcn.114.092064
Thanks for
reading.
Connie
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