Fiber - Facts & Benefits

Fiber

Facts
Types of fiber
Fibrous food
Fiber & gas
Fiber supplement
Fiber & C-reactive protein (CRP)
Fiber & weight loss
Words from 'The Fibre Man'
Books & articles
Fibrous place shoppe
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Facts

Fiber is any part of a plant food that the body is unable to digest, i.e. that the digestive enzymes are unable to break it down.
Dietary fiber is made up of complex carbohydrates and substances which form the plant cell walls and structure. Complex carbohydrates from plants are rich in starches and fiber.
Dietary fiber is classified as either soluble fiber or insoluble fiber depending on the solubilty in water and other factors.
Soluble fiber can reduce cholesterol levels because it binds with bile (which is made up of cholesterol) in the intestines which is released out of the body. It also delays the time taken for digested food to move through the intestines (e.g. slows down the digestion of carbohydrates like sugars, which results in better glucose tolerance)
Insoluble fiber speeds up the process of food travelling through the intestines. This prevents the exposure of harmful toxins, such as fecal carcinogens and harmful colonic bacteria from overstaying in the colon. It absorbs water in the colon which results in softer and larger stools.
Fiber makes stools more acidic which encourages less bacteria degradation and thus reduce the production of toxic/carcinogens in the intestine.
Fiber adds volume and softens stools. Fiber boosts regular bowel movements.
A low fiber diet has been linked to constipation, hemorrhoids (piles), diabetes, cancer, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity and autoimmune disorders.
Drink lots of fluid (e.g. juice, broth, water) when increasing fiber intake. Increase intake gradually; add a little each day.
Processed food contains little or no fiber at all.

Types of fiber

CELLULOSE
The main substance that makes up plant cell walls. Found in all fruits, legumes and vegetables.
HEMICELLULOSE
The main structural fiber in cereals.
PECTIN
Forms a gel when mixed with water. Found in apples, banana, noni, citrus fruits, carrots and vegetables.
LIGNIN
The only non-carbohydrate fiber. Found in fruit seeds (e.g. kiwi, strawberries and raspberries) or in the woody parts of vegetables (e.g. carrots).
GUM
The viscous and sticky water-soluble substance extracted from seeds of the guar plant. Guar gum is also known as galactomannan or galactomannin.
MUCILAGES
A gummy substance exuded by plants. Used as food stabilizers.
ARABINOGALACTANS
Dissolves in water but does not turn viscous. Found in fruits, vegetables and in the wood of the larch tree.

Fibrous food

SOLUBLE FIBER (pectin, some hemicellulose, gums, mucilages and arabinogalactans) :
1. Whole grains : barley, oat bran
2. Fruits : apple, banana, citrus fruits (e.g. orange, grapefruit), fig, noni, papaya, pear, pineapple
3. Vegetables : carrots, glucomannan (derived from konjac root), tomato, zucchini
4. Legumes : lentils, peas, soy beans
5. Seed : psyllium
6. Herb : fenugreek
INSOLUBLE FIBER (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignins) :
1. Whole grains : amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, oat bran, oatmeal, rye, teff, whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat bread, wild rice
2. Fruits : apple, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, fig
3. Vegetables : asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, lettuce, root vegetables (e.g. carrots, beetroots, potato with skin), tomato
  [Note: best eaten raw or slightly cooked]
4. Nuts : raw almonds
  [Note: Avoid deep-fried or salted varieties. Since nuts are pretty high in calories, consume in moderation.]
5. Seed : flaxseed, psyllium
BOTH SOLUBLE & INSOLUBLE :
1. Fruits : apple, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, fig

Fiber & gas

A high-fiber diet causes the intestinal bacteria to produce gas as a result of digesting fiber.

Fiber supplement

Research has shown that supplementing a single dose of 20g insoluble fiber can prevent the aborption of essential minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc, whereas consuming 20g to 35g of natural fiber found in foods does not affect mineral absorption. So get fiber from foods and not from supplements alone.
People with difficulty in swallowing should not take fiber supplements as they can expand in the throat and pose serious consequences.

Fiber & C-reactive protein (CRP)
An elevated level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood, which is also called blood protein cardio-CRP, highly sensitive CRP or hs-CRP, is a significant risk factor for developing heart attack and diabetes in the future. CRP can be measured by a simple and inexpensive blood test.

An investigation team at the University of Massachusetts conducted a prospective and cross-sectional study of the relation of dietary fiber content and CRP concentrations in 524 middle-aged men and women who were overweight or obese.

After adjustments for body mass index, smoking status, infections, and age, the data showed that almost 18% men and women with elevated CRP levels (above 3 milligrams per liter of blood) had a drop with increased fiber intake. Those who ate a high fiber intake were 63% less likely to have high CRP levels compared to those who were low on fiber.

Fiber is linked to maintaining healthy intestinal bacterial flora which promotes anti-inflammatory and antioxidative processes.

The finding from this study supports the recommendation that adults take 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day, obtainable from fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Both soluble and insoluble fiber are beneficial.

Besides checking on CRP levels, it is also important not to overlook other risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels and family history of heart problems.
Reference : "Association between dietary fiber and serum C-reactive protein." Ma Yunsheng, et al. American Journal Clinical Nutrition (2006) 83:760-766

Fiber & weight loss

High-fiber food takes a longer time to chew and thorough chewing soothes hunger pangs.
Since fiber provides bulk or roughage, it makes one feel full and thus curbs the urge to eat more. Also soluble fiber absorbs water and slows down the digestive process which makes one feel full - longer.

Words from 'The Fibre Man'

Hear these words of caution from Dr. Denis Burkitt * as found in Brian Kellock's book 'The Fibre Man' (Lion Publishing plc, 1985) :

"If you put fibre into a glass of water, what happens? It absorbs water and swells. In the gut fibre will hold the water partly by mechanical attraction and partly by providing food for the bacteria which are 80 per cent water anyway. So fibre ensures the presence of a large soft, easy-moving mass. It is strongly protective against constipation, and by this and other means provides protection against many diseases of the gut."

"Fibre in the diet makes the stool more acid. As a result there is less bacterial degradation of the normal bowel constituents into potential carcinogens (cancer-producing substances), so fibre probably reduces the carcinogens in your gut and mine. Also fibre increases the mass of the stool, so any carcinogens contained in it are beneficially diluted. In addition, intestinal transit time is shortened, so contact between carcinogens and the bowel lining is also shortened."

"Diverticular disease is a disease of Western culture, almost unknown in the third world. Even in a relatively advanced city like New Delhi, where I visited an enormous university X-ray department, I found they had seen only eight cases of diverticular disease in thirteen years. In Britain it is estimated that it is present in one in three adults over sixty."

"Gall-stones is a disease of modern Western culture. It is estimated that a third of a million gall-bladders are removed annually in America. More is spent in the United States on taking out gall-stones than the total expenditure on preventive and curative health care in the whole continent of Africa. Yet it is largely a preventable disease."

"All the diseases I have mentioned, without exception, are related directly or indirectly with the alimentary tract. And the environment of your gut and mine is determined by the food we eat."

"One of the first to recognize a relationship between refined carbohydrate foods and disease was Dr. T. R. Allinson who, in an essay written nearly a century ago, related not only constipation but also piles (haemorrhoids) and varicose veins to an insufficiency of fibre in the diet. Sir Robert MacCarrison, early in the 1900s, warned of the dangers of over-processed food."

* Born in 1911 in Ireland, Dr. Burkitt while serving as a surgeon in Africa in the '50s and '60s, discovered a type of lymphatic cancer in children, which is known as Burkitt's lymphoma. He also found that a serious lack of fiber in the typical Western diet was to blame for many diseases such as colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease - rarely found in Afican populations, where diets are rich in fiber.

Find out more about what Dr. Bukitt said
on -
Constipation
Varicose veins

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