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| High/Increased Fiber Diet |
Last updated: Nov 05, 2009 |
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High/Increased Fiber Diet |
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Diet is a major factor in 5 of the 10 leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. These diseases account for 70% of all deaths in the United States. Over half the calories consumed in this country are from refined foods, from which the bran, germ, and oil have been removed. The average intake of fiber is only 11gm per day, compared to the daily recommended intake of 20 to 30gm. Fiber is important in the prevention of constipation, diverticulosis, colon polyps, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, appendicitis, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcer disease and probably colon cancer.
Soluble fiber consists of the plant's sticky components, including pectins, gum, and mucilage. Soluble fiber comes from the plant's skeleton, which consists of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Foods containing water soluble fiber include fruit, vegetables, oats, barley, wheat, whole grains, cereals, legumes, and psyllium. Most plant foods provide insoluble fiber also. Water insoluble fiber assists in maintaining regular bowel movements, but may have an adverse or detrimental effect on irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. Soluble fiber may be beneficial in atherosclerosis, IBS, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dumping syndrome, and gallstones.
Soluble fiber is fermented by colonic microflora resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyric acid. In addition to promoting beneficial SCFA production and intestinal motility, dietary fiber can help to bind endotoxins and facilitate their elimination via the bowel.
Different types of fiber may have protective benefit in various bowel disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, colorectal cancer and other conditions such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and obesity. The fiber of choice for irritable bowel syndrome is methylcellulose or polycarbophil; for diverticulosis is psyllium, methylcellulose or polycarbophil; for colorectal cancer is psyllium, pectin or guar gum; for diabetes any supplement; for hypercholesterolemia psyllium, pectin or guar gum; and for obesity any supplement as tolerated.
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 High/Increased Fiber Diet can help with the following: | | | | | | Autoimmune |  Ulcerative Colitis | Approach a high fiber diet cautiously during periods of inflammation, as it may aggravate the condition. As you stabilize, fiber and unrefined foods are important to continue the health of the colon.
A study found Plantago ovata seed (the whole psyllium seed, not just the husk) at 10gm bid to be as effective as the drug mesalamine for maintaining remission in patients with ulcerative colitis. In addition, the Plantago ovata seed may help prevent colon cancer, a common complication of ulcerative colitis, because it increases colonic butyrate levels. |
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Circulation |
 Hypertension| | A study suggests that oatmeal can improve blood pressure and reduce drug costs for 60 million hypertensive Americans. The study found that 73% of participants, each of whom who ate oat cereal daily for 12 weeks, were able to reduce or eliminate their need for blood-pressure medication. Consumption of high-fiber cereals is an easy and simple way for a person
to increase total and soluble fiber intakes, thus helping to reach the dietary fiber goal of 25-30gm per day. [Preventive Medicine in Managed Care; March 1, 2002] |
Atherosclerosis
Varicose Veins |
Diet |
 Low Fiber Intake
Not recommended for:
 Fiber Adequacy |
Digestion |
Constipation| | A diet with enough fiber (20 to 35gm each day either from food or supplements) helps form a soft, bulky stool. High-fiber foods include beans, whole grains and bran cereals, fresh fruits, and vegetables such as asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and carrots. For people prone to constipation, limiting foods that have little or no fiber such as ice cream, cheese, meat, and processed foods is also important. |
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)| | The synthetic polymers methylcellulose and polycarbophil have been found to be the most effective fibers or bulk-forming laxatives for use in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Neither are found naturally in food sources. Methylcellulose is used as a food additive/thickener. Both are available over the counter in commercial products such as Citrucel (methylcellulose) and Fibercon (polycarbophil), among others.
What is frustrating for IBS sufferers is that they are often told to eat more fiber, but aren't told which kind is best for their condition. Insoluble fiber is difficult on the digestive tract and can trigger severe IBS attacks. According to a study of the effects of wheat bran on patients with irritable bowel syndrome, which appeared in the April 1999 issue of Lancet, 55% of IBS patients were made worse by eating wheat bran, which is an extremely high source of insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber, on the other hand, is soothing to the digestive tract. It helps prevent painful spasms and relieves both the constipation and diarrhea of IBS. For the IBS individual, soluble fiber should always be the very first thing you eat on an empty stomach and it should be part of every meal. Foods that are naturally high in soluble fiber include oatmeal, pasta, rice, potatoes, sourdough bread, soy, barley, and oat bran. |
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Environment / Toxicity |
Heavy Metal Toxicity| | Sodium alginate as well as other gel-forming fibers have been shown to inhibit heavy metal uptake in the gut. |
Mercury Toxicity / Amalgam Illness| | Sodium alginate as well as other gel-forming fibers have been shown to inhibit heavy metal uptake in the gut. |
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Lab Values |
Elevated Total Cholesterol| | The fiber of choice for hypercholesterolemia is psyllium, pectin or guar gum. The amount of pectin in approximately two servings of fruit rich in pectin such as pears, apples, grapefruit, and oranges is 15gm. Psyllium or guar gum are obtained by supplement. The RDA for total fiber is 20-30gm. The fiber from whole grains, especially oats does have a cholesterol lowering effect, especially in someone on a previously low fiber diet.
Three months of supplementation with ground flaxseed at 40gm per day reduced serum total cholesterol in a study of postmenopausal women. [J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87(4): pp.1527-1532]
Oat bran (35-50gm per day) reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels in a controlled study of 152 overweight men with hypercholesterolemia. As one tablespoon of oat bran weighs about 6 grams, it would take roughly 6 to 8 tablespoons per day to achieve this total. [Ann Nutr Met 2003;47(6): pp.306-11] |
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Metabolic |
Hypoglycemia| | Soluble fiber delays gastric emptying, slows glucose absorption, and minimizes blood glucose swings. |
Problem Caused By Being Overweight| | Good results in weight loss studies have been achieved with guar gum, a water-soluble fiber obtained from the Indian cluster bean (cyamopsis tetragonoloba). In one study, nine women weighing between 160 and 242 pounds (73 to 110kg) were given 10gm of guar gum immediately before lunch and dinner. They were told not to consciously alter their eating habits. After two months, the women reported an average weight loss of 9.4 pounds (4.3kg) - over 1 pound per week.
An increasing number of studies suggest that any water-soluble fiber may help people lose weight. It is thought to work by decreasing appetite: it bulks up in the stomach and causes a "full" feeling, resulting in fewer calories being consumed. |
Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X)| | Any fiber choice is useful for Syndrome X sufferers, but psyllium, pectin or guar gum would offer the additional benefit of lowering cholesterol. The amount of pectin in approximately two servings of pectin rich fruit such as pears, apples, grapefruit, and oranges is 15 grams. Psyllium or guar gum are obtained by supplement. The RDA of total fiber is 20-30 grams. |
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Organ Health |
Diverticular Disease| | A high fiber diet can help relieve symptoms for most people with diverticulosis. The suggested daily total should be 20-35gm. The fiber of choice for diverticulosis is supplemental psyllium, methylcellulose or polycarbophil. These are available over-the-counter in commercial products such as Metamucil (psyllium), Citrucel (methylcellulose) and Fibercon (polycarbophil), among others.
If you suspect that your diverticulosis has turned into diverticulitis, call your doctor and restrict fiber until instructed otherwise.
Oat bran is good for diverticulosis. It is hypoallergenic as compared to wheat containing products, and has additional health benefits. Two tablespoons per day is a reasonable dose and it can be mixed in with foods are added to baked products. |
Diabetes Type II| | Any form of fiber will be beneficial, so choose those that you most easily tolerate. Dietary fiber helps prevent and moderate diabetes through its effects on glucose and, subsequently, insulin levels. A diet high in complex carbohydrates and fiber helps prevent excess blood-sugar levels following meals and increases tissue sensitivity to insulin. This is achieved mainly by slowing the emptying of the stomach and thereby reducing insulin secretion.
When soluble fiber ferments during digestion it produces 'short chain fatty acids' that increase the metabolism of glucose and thus may add to the beneficial effects of dietary fiber on diabetes. Guar and other water-soluble fibers in beans, oats, barley, and fruit are important and are present in large quantities in a plant-based diet.
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have determined that those who eat the certain grains for breakfast have lower, well-regulated blood sugar throughout the day, even up to and beyond dinner.
Here are the right grains someone with diabetes should eat:
1. Whole-grain barley (this grain worked best)
2. Whole grain rye
3. Other whole grains such as oats |
Increased Risk of Diabetes ll| | Any form of fiber will be beneficial, so choose those that you most easily tolerate. Dietary fiber helps prevent and moderate diabetes through its effects on glucose and, subsequently, insulin levels. A diet high in complex carbohydrates and fiber helps prevent excess blood-sugar levels following meals and increases tissue sensitivity to insulin. This is achieved mainly by slowing the emptying of the stomach and thereby reducing insulin secretion.
When soluble fiber ferments during digestion it produces 'short chain fatty acids' that increase the metabolism of glucose and thus may add to the beneficial effects of dietary fiber on diabetes. Guar and other water-soluble fibers in beans, oats, barley, and fruit are important and are present in large quantities in a plant-based diet.
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have determined that those who eat the certain grains for breakfast have lower, well-regulated blood sugar throughout the day, even up to and beyond dinner.
Here are the right grains someone with diabetes should eat:
1. Whole-grain barley (this grain worked best)
2. Whole grain rye
3. Other whole grains such as oats. |
Gallbladder Disease| | Dietary fiber from cellulose (soluble fiber) clearly reduces the risk of gallstone formation. |
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Risks |
Increased Risk of Breast Cancer| | See reference found in the link between Increased Risk of Breast Cancer and Aerobic Exercise. |
Increased Risk of Coronary Disease / Heart Attack| | A high-fiber diet, particularly one that is high in water-soluble fiber (such as fruit), is associated with decreased risk of both fatal and nonfatal heart attacks, probably because presence of such fiber is known to lower cholesterol. Making positive dietary changes immediately following a heart attack is likely to decrease one’s chance of having a second heart attack. In one study, individuals began eating more vegetables and fruits, and substituted fish, nuts, and legumes for meat and eggs 24 to 48 hours after a heart attack. Six weeks later, the diet group had significantly fewer fatal and nonfatal heart attacks than a similar group that did not make these dietary changes. This trend continued for an additional six weeks.
In a study of nearly 1,000 heart patients in Milan, Italy, those with the highest intake of cereal fiber (which is mostly insoluble
fiber) actually increased their heart attack risk by more than 10%. This was attributed to the fact that the sources of
this type of fiber appeared to be refined grains that can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. Most people don't eat enough water-soluble fiber to produce the positive results shown in the Milan study. Unrefined foods containing water soluble fiber include:
- Fruits like oranges, peaches, apples, and grapes
- Vegetables, including carrots, squash, and corn
- Nuts and seeds, especially psyllium seeds
- Legumes like peanuts, lentils, peas, and kidney, black, and pinto beans
- Oats and barley
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Skin-Hair-Nails |
Psoriasis |
Uro-Genital |
Female Infertility |
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KEY | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended | | | Reasonably likely to cause problems |
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