Fiber - A Matter of Life and Death

There seems to be a never ending influx of science articles on dietary fiber and its health benefits or the absence of any such outcomes. Still the article published on-line recently merits our close attention. The reason for this is that the study was conducted on an enormous number of people – 567,169 people aged 50-71 were surveyed over a 9 year period. No study anywhere else in the world comes close to these numbers. That is why the outcomes are so significant. They are believable and will remain a benchmark long into the future.

So, what did the study show?

Both men and women were split into 5 groups depending on how much fiber they ingested each day. This ranged from 12.6 grams to 29.4 grams per day for men and 10.8 to 25.8 grams for women. The results showed the following:

• There was a decreased death rate in both men and women which improved from the lowest to the highest fiber intake
• This improved longevity was seen for heart, infectious and respiratory diseases
• There was significant improvement in cancer death for men but not for women
• It was found that the people who had the highest fiber intake and the best survival also had reduced their red meat ingestion

Increasing dietary fiber is simply a matter of life and death. It is that simple. An important part of the fiber story is that fiber is present in 2 types. Insoluble fibers are generally not fermented by colon bacteria while soluble fibers are fermented.

Each of these fibers has health benefits. They are best when both are ingested together. Our Prebiotin product is a pure soluble fiber. Prebiotin-Heart Health and Prebiotin-Regularity/Diverticulosis have generous portions of both types of fiber, each with 11.5 grams per dose. Taken twice a day would provide 23 grams, which is the best point in the above study. Ingesting generous portions of vegetables and fruit would kick this total even higher.

There is now a great deal of information on fiber and the following which will be looked at in subsequent blogs:

• Blood Pressure
• Lipids and Cholesterol
• Glucose and Type 2 diabetes
• Carcinogens in the diet

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2011.18

RELATED LINKS

The Fiber Content of Foods

The Benefits of Prebiotics

Prebiotic Content of Foods

Valentine’s Day, Prebiotics and Heart Disease Prevention

What could be more appropriate than caring for the heart at Valentine's Day, both your own and the one that belongs to someone special. We now know so much about how this can be done. Let's talk about specifics:

CORONARY HEART DISEASE

If you already have Coronary Heart Disease, you know the imperatives that need to be followed:

• low fat diet
• weight control
• no smoking
• exercise, and
• less stress

However, cholesterol control remains an imperative as well. Medications such as the statins are a main stay for many people. We now know that certain supplements can also be helpful in controlling cholesterol. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has allowed a cholesterol claim for the supplement psyllium in a dose of 7 grams a day. Oat bran, like wise, will lower the cholesterol.

But is there a connection to cholesterol and the bacterial balance in our gut?

Perhaps. There is increasing evidence that there is a direct connection to Metabolic Syndrome, which has as one of its characteristicsatherogenic dyslipidemia. In other words, blood fat disorders that foster plaque buildups in artery walls such as high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol.

WHAT IS METABOLIC SYNDROME?

Many people have this problem and prebiotics are a major and significant part of the treatment. This condition consists of the following:

• tendency toward or actual coronary heart disease
• overweight (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
• high blood pressure
• pre-diabetes or actual type 2 diabetes, and
• blood fat disorders

People with the metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans have it.

A significant recent finding is that the bacterial makeup of the colon in people with metabolic syndrome is bad. There is a major shift from good to bad bacteria. This, in turn leads to inflammation and leakiness of the colon wall. This condition aggravates the metabolic syndrome.

Prebiotics are plant fibers of a very specific type that nourish the good bacteria in the colon. When these good bacteria thrive, they push out the bads ones and in so doing return the bowel wall to normal. Daily consumption of prebiotic rich food or a supplement can help correct this bacterial imbalance in those people with this condition.

HEALTHY HEART NORMALS

For those of us who do not have coronary heart disease or metabolic syndrome and want to keep it that way, a shift towards a more “plant-based diet” may be necessary. Meat, poultry and fish are great but they should get an equal part of the dinner plate and not the larger portion that we grew up on. Plant based foods provide nutrients to the good bacteria in the colon that are just not present in meats, poultry and fish. What is important to remember is that a significant portion of the plants that we ingest are those that contain the natural prebiotics, oligofructose and inulin. What is the takeaway from this article? Prebiotics need to become a regular part of your nutrition. Our Prebiotin supplements give you the assurance that your intestinal balance is strengthened in a very active way. And for added assistance with cholesterol control Prebiotin-Heart Health is available. This formula contains a healthy blend of both psyllium and oat bran as well as the very best prebiotic, oligofructose enriched inulin.

So this valentines day, stay heart healthy by increasing your ingestion of prebiotics.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20640165

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4756