- Eating a diet with enough fiber can help you maintain a healthy weight.
- Recent animal studies have investigated which form of fiber is most effective.
- Beta-glucan, a dietary fiber found in cereals and oats, came in at the top of the list.
A new study using a mouse model of obesity concludes that a type of fiber called beta-glucan induces more weight loss than other kinds of fiber.
If these results are confirmed in human studies, the authors suggest that beta-glucan could be a “promising dietary strategy against metabolic disease.”
This study Nutrition Journal.
To understand research findings and provide practical advice, Today’s Medical News Several experts were consulted, none of whom were involved in the study.
Until recently, dietary fiber was simply considered to be a “dietary fiber” that only served to regulate the intestines. However, now, dietary fiber is Essential for Gut Health And overall health.
Our digestive system cannot break down fiber, so it passes through most of the digestive tract.
Once it reaches the large intestine, where most of the gut flora lives, bacteria ferment it, and in the process, the microbes release a variety of compounds that are beneficial to health. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).
MNT contacted Mir Ali, MDThe board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, explains the important role fiber plays in your health:
“A high-fiber diet has numerous benefits, including lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, maintaining regular bowel movements and overall intestinal health, and reducing the incidence of diverticulitis and other intestinal diseases.”
Janes Laster, MDThe specialist in internal medicine, gastroenterology, obesity medicine and nutrition explained:
“Increasing fiber in the diet has also been shown to change the human microbiome, making people feel fuller and reducing overeating and weight gain, and changing metabolic health.”
She also MNT Laster claims that a diet rich in fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance.
When patients increase their fiber intake, “many notice improved energy, improved sleep and less mental confusion,” Laster said.
But while the benefits of a high-fiber diet are clear, some questions remain unanswered: Fiber isn’t a monolith; it comes in many different forms, and scientists don’t know which forms affect which aspects of your metabolism. New research is investigating this question.
Broadly speaking, dietary fiber can be divided into two forms, both of which are important for health.
- Soluble dietary fiber: It dissolves easily in water to produce a gel-like substance. This form of fiber helps lower blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- Insoluble fiber: It absorbs water rather than dissolving in it, and this form of fiber is especially important for healthy bowel movements.
The researchers used an obese mouse model for their study. Each mouse consumed one of five types of fiber daily for 18 weeks.
- Pectin: a Soluble Fiber contained in fruits.
- Beta Glucan: a Soluble Fibers are commonly found in nature, including grains, yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.
- Wheat dextrin: One Soluble Dietary fiber sold over the counter as a dietary fiber supplement.
- Resistant starch: A type of starch that is not digested but ferments in the large intestine, acting similarly to dietary fiber.
- cellulose: of Insoluble Fiber contained in plant cells.
The scientists measured the animals’ body weight, body fat levels, energy expenditure and glucose tolerance, and also analysed their gut microbiota and the short-chain fatty acids they produced.
The researchers found that all five types of fiber caused significant changes in the animals’ gut microbiome, altering the levels of SCFAs produced.
However, when we looked at body weight, fat mass, and glucose tolerance, only beta-glucan had an effect.
MNT He said Chris MoorePhD, RD, fitness and nutrition advisor at Fortune Recommends Health. While I wasn’t surprised to see that fiber improved health indicators, I was surprised to see that “only beta-glucan had a significant effect on reducing weight gain and improving glucose tolerance.”
“It’s interesting that in this particular study, beta-glucan had such a clear advantage over the others,” he said.
Susan BowermanJohn Myers, R.D., Herbalife’s senior director of worldwide nutrition education and training and chair of the Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board, was also surprised by the results, “especially since pectin, another soluble fiber, was also studied.”
There evidence Supports the benefits of beta-glucan on heart health.
both U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) allows food manufacturers to make heart health claims for products that contain beta-glucan.
However, its potential role in weight loss Not very clearAlthough the findings are promising, it’s important to remember that what happens in mice doesn’t necessarily happen in humans.
“Human metabolism and gut microbiomes are more complex,” Moore said. MNT“Individuals may respond differently to dietary changes.”
“However, previous human studies have shown some benefits of beta-glucan, suggesting it may have similar results, although more research is needed,” he continued.
This kind of evidence can be difficult to collect and interpret. “To replicate this in humans, study subjects would need to follow a precise diet,” Bowerman explained. “Even if the results were borne out, we don’t know how effective beta-glucan would be in a free-living population consuming a diverse diet.”
It will probably take some time to figure out the health effects of specific types of fiber, but we do know that a diet rich in fiber can reduce the risk of disease and help you maintain a healthy weight.
Also,
“We aren’t eating enough of the richest sources of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains,” Bowerman explains. “It’s important to get these foods every day.”
We asked the experts for advice on how to increase your fiber intake.
“Eat more fruits and vegetables, as they’re high in fiber and packed with nutrients,” Moore explains, adding some advice:
- Choose whole grain bread, pasta and rice over refined bread, pasta and rice.
- One easy and inexpensive way to get fiber is to simply add 1/2 cup of legumes, such as lentils or black beans, to your meals.
- Replace your current snacks with foods like nuts and seeds that are high in fiber and provide healthy fats and protein.
- Fiber works best when it absorbs water, so stay hydrated.
Because many people in the United States consume very little fiber, experts recommend gradually increasing fiber intake.
“To avoid symptoms of bloating, start slowly; don’t go from zero to 25 grams a day,” says Laster.
MNT When I spoke to Nicky Contractor, Amway’s global R&D leader, she told me, “If taken in large quantities too quickly, it can cause unwanted gastrointestinal symptoms, including increased bowel movements, gas and bloating.”
The contractor also noted that diversity is important: “Some scientists in the microbiome field suggest that you should have as much as possible.
Changing your diet may seem daunting and difficult, but slow, gradual changes are more achievable and more effective than the latest fad diet or dangerous weight loss “hack.”
Beta-glucan may be the evidence-based weight loss supplement of the future, but for now, focusing on vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains is a good start.
