Health 101: Fiber

Fiber is one of my favorite things to talk about because almost no one gets enough of it; yet its healthful benefits are bountiful. Playing such an enormous role in our health, fiber is often overlooked as a beneficial part of a healthy diet. Learning about fiber; how much you need, how to increase intake and its benefits is vital health information I think everyone should know about and implement in their diet.

Dietary fiber intakes in the U.S. average from 16-18 g/day for men and 12-14 g/day for women—well below recommended intake levels, therefore, increasing intake with fruits, vegetables and whole grains will help increase this amount and ensure you are reaching your daily recommended intake. Though it is important to remember that eating healthy to obtain fiber is vital to good health, one may also want to take a fiber supplement to ensure adequate amounts.  Fiber is also important to help decrease the incidence of constipation, which “is common in Western societies, accounting for 2.5 million physician visits/year in the US” (Salmoirago-Blotcher et al, 2011)

Fiber 101: Fiber helps support many functions and provides multiple health benefits for a person’s well-being such as; supporting bowel function, the health of the digestive system, weight loss, helping aid the body in eliminating toxins and for the prevention of some diseases and health conditions; such as heart disease, to name just a few.

The Two Faces of Fiber: Fiber comes in two forms; soluble and insoluble. However, it is now believed that the type of fiber is not as important as increasing overall intake. Both types are beneficial to health and should be included daily in your diet.

Soluble fiber is dispersible in water and acts as a sponge by absorbing water in the intestines, helping to increase bulk, decrease appetite and has been shown reduce fat absorption by coating the intestinal tract. Soluble fiber is soft and is found in foods such as; oatmeal, pears, strawberries, and apples and in supplement forms such as; Psyllium.

Soluble fiber has many positive benefits to promote its intake. “Soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease” (FDA). It has also been shown that “when digested, it helps prevent cholesterol from being absorbed in the intestines. This type of fiber is also thought to help minimize the rise in blood sugar levels after a meal, which is particularly helpful for people with diabetes” (WebMD). Soluble fiber also helps in aiding proper elimination through the GI tract and reducing constipation and irritation.

Insoluble fiber acts more like a broom through the digestive system, is rougher than soluble fiber and does not dissolve in water. Insoluble fiber absorbs many times its weight in water which bulks and softens stool and allows for efficient transit and may help lessen toxicity through the digestive tract. This is a great way to clean your intestines daily and is useful for detoxification and stimulating colon function.

Insoluble fiber is found in foods such as; whole-wheat grain and wheat bran, brown rice, bulgur, seeds, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini and my personal favorite; ground flaxseed; which can be added to baked goods and is often found in supplements. Insoluble fiber supplements are another way to add fiber to the diet and ensure intake is adequate.

Also important to note that increasing fiber intake should be accompanied by an increase in water consumption to ensure adequate transit through the digestive system.

How Much Fiber? The Institute of Medicine has established The Adequate Intake recommendations for total fiber based on the findings of multiple studies.

Side effects? Most commonly the side effects that occur with increased dietary fiber intake have to do with increasing the amount too quickly and not accompanying the intake with adequate water. Some side effects include; gas, bloating and abdominal cramping with rare but serious effects including, intestinal obstruction.

What does the Research say?

There is a plethora of studies that support fiber intake as part of a healthy diet and over all well-being. To highlight a few:

One study states “psyllium does lower serum and liver cholesterol concentrations and may increase HDL-cholesterol levels- Moreover, water soluble fibers, such as psyllium…favor the reduction of body weight and hypertension. Therefore, the favorable effect of various fibers and particularly of psyllium, on body weight reduction and satiety, on cholesterol and triglyceride levels, on fasting glycaemia and on blood pressure suggests a potential role of these fibers in the treatment of MS [Metabolic Syndrome]” (Giacosa A, 2010).

But the benefits go far beyond lowering serum and liver cholesterol and another study indicates that; weight loss, reduced body mass index (BMI) and blood glucose levels were also reported with a dietary fiber intake of 25 grams daily  (Ramos et al, 2011).

Not just for adults! As one study indicated, “Children with high fiber intakes (upper quartile) consumed less fat, particularly saturated fat, and more carbohydrate than children with low fiber intakes. Increasing consumption of whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, and legumes (prepared with minimal added fat) will be necessary to reach the goal of optimal fiber intake and could result in an eating pattern that approaches the current recommendations for dietary fat and saturated fat” (Nicklas TA et al, 1995). With the rising numbers of childhood obesity, added fiber intake may be a beneficial way to help promote healthy habits and weight in children.

How to increase intake:

There are many ways to increase fiber intake in one’s diet; the easiest is by increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables (leave on the skins) and go for dark leafy greens.

Choose foods that contain whole grains versus those that contain processed flours because during the milling process in flour production these parts are separated.

Add ground flaxseed, wheat germ and fruits to yogurt and cereal.

Implement a fiber supplement to your diet in addition to dietary intake.

So whether it’s to help with weight loss, prevent health diseases, increase digestive elimination, remove toxins, help with cholesterol levels or just for overall well-being, increasing dietary intake is one of the best things you can do to help stay healthy! Just remember to increase your intake slowly and follow intake with adequate amounts of water to ensure proper elimination and transit through your digestive system. Please be sure to check with your healthcare professional before increasing fiber in your diet if you are being monitored for any healthcare condition or taking medication.

References:

Haas, Elson, M.D. Staying Healthy With Nutrition. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts. 1992

Sears, William, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N. The Family Nutrition Book. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1999.

WebMD

Linus Pauling Institute

Studies-

The right fiber for the right disease: an update on the psyllium seed husk and the metabolic syndrome.

Giacosa A et al, 2010.

Dietary fiber intake of children and young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Nicklas TA et al, 1995.

The role of soluble fiber intake in patients under highly effective lipid-lowering therapy (Ramos et al, 2011).

Food and Drug Administration. Food labeling: health claims; soluble dietary fiber from certain foods and coronary heart disease. Final rule. Fed Regist. 2003;68(144):44207-44209.

Constipation and risk of cardiovascular disease among postmenopausal women. Salmoirago-Blotcher et al, 2011.