Importance Of Fiber For Health

pinoyusana — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:33:56 +0000

Opinions on the importance of fiber for health and its effects on human metabolism vary widely. Increasingly,however, the facts indicate that Burkitt and Trowell’s fiber hypothesis, according to which the low fiber content in the industrial nations’ nutrition is at the root of many of our diseases, is valid in a number of ways. Preventive as well as curative approaches can be derived from the various effects of fiber. Some of these effects are based on fiber’s physicochemical properties, including high water-binding capacity (swelling action) and an indigestible matrix with a high-level binding ability.

High Fiber Rich Foods

In the stomach, high fiber content leads to delayed emptying. The water-binding enlarges the particles so that they pass the pyloric sphincter later. Also, fiber-rich foods tend to be chewed more extensively. Both facts contribute to a faster and prolonged feeling of satiety.

In the ileum and colon, in particular, strong swelling action of fiber shortens the transit time. Changes in the speed of digestion and absorption may result from the non-specific binding capacity of fibers. Minerals and trace elements, as well as fat soluble substances, may be transported into lower intestinal areas this way and be withheld from absorption.

The binding of steroids leads to increased excretion of bile acids and cholesterol, which may be relevant for the therapy of fat metabolism disorders. Glucose absorption is also delayed by high fiber intake, improving blood glucose profiles in diabetics.

In the colon, several mechanisms contribute to a desirable increase of stool weight , stool volume, and the related softer stool consistency: swelling of non-water-soluble polysaccharides; their energetic use by intestinal bacteria, which increases their mass; formation of gases like methane and CO2, resulting from microbial breakdown of these fibers.

The latter is—subjectively—undesirable, but tends to decrease after an initial adaptive period. The binding of ammonia increases fecal nitrogen excretion, thereby unburdening the liver and kidneys. Short-chain fatty acids (FA) like acetate, butyrate, and propionate, produced during fermentation, positively affect the composition of the intestinal flora, as well as intestinal pH. They are absorbed by the colon mucosa for subsequent energetic use. Therefore, the caloric content of fiber should be assessed as being 2 kcal/g on average.

Fiber has become important for prevention and therapy of many diseases: obstipation, diverticulosis, colon cancer, diabetes mellitus, and disorders of lipid metabolism. Disadvantages like the binding of essential nutrients, changes of the mucosa, and gas formation are mostly negligible relative to the long-term advantages.

source: Pocket Atlas of Nutrition 2006

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Importance Of Fiber For Health