Why is Fiber so Important?
Fiber plays an important role in your heart, digestive & skin health.
Even though fiber is an indigestible substance that is resistant to being broken down in your small intestine, it can have many powerful health effects in your body. Fiber can help lower your risk of developing constipation, diverticulitis, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes mellitus.
Fiber helps prevent constipation and diverticulosis
A diet plentiful in insoluble fibers such as bran, whole grains, and many fruits and vegetables will help keep things moving along in your digestive tract and decrease your likelihood of becoming constipated. As remnants of food move through your colon, water is absorbed, which causes the formation of solid waste products. The contractions of the muscles in your colon push the stool toward your rectum to be eliminated. If these muscle contractions are sluggish, the stool may linger too long in your colon, which can cause too much water to be reabsorbed. This can create hard, dry stools that are more difficult and painful to expel.
A diet plentiful in insoluble fibers such as bran, whole grains, and many fruits and vegetables will help keep things moving along in your digestive tract and decrease your likelihood of becoming constipated. As remnants of food move through your colon, water is absorbed, which causes the formation of solid waste products. The contractions of the muscles in your colon push the stool toward your rectum to be eliminated. If these muscle contractions are sluggish, the stool may linger too long in your colon, which can cause too much water to be reabsorbed. This can create hard, dry stools that are more difficult and painful to expel.
Fiber helps prevent obesity
A fiber-rich diet can also be kind to your waistline. High-fiber foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, can add to satiation so that you need to eat fewer calories to feel full. Obese men and women tend to consume lower amounts of dietary fiber daily than their leaner counterparts. This lends credence to the concept that fiber plays a role in weight management. Whereas some weight-loss diets restrict carbohydrates, these plans would work better if they increased high-fiber carbohydrates.
A fiber-rich diet can also be kind to your waistline. High-fiber foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, can add to satiation so that you need to eat fewer calories to feel full. Obese men and women tend to consume lower amounts of dietary fiber daily than their leaner counterparts. This lends credence to the concept that fiber plays a role in weight management. Whereas some weight-loss diets restrict carbohydrates, these plans would work better if they increased high-fiber carbohydrates.
Fiber helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
Viscous, soluble fibers can help lower elevated blood cholesterol levels. A high blood cholesterol level can increase the risk of heart disease. It is believed that viscous fiber interferes with the re-absorption of bile acids in the intestines. Bile acids are high in cholesterol and are released into your intestine by your gallbladder to help with the digestion of fat. The bile acids are likely grabbed by the fiber before they can be reabsorbed by the body. They then end up being excreted along with the fiber in your waste products. Your body replaces these lost bile acids by removing cholesterol from the blood to generate new bile acids in the liver. Blood cholesterol levels are lowered as a result.
Viscous, soluble fibers can help lower elevated blood cholesterol levels. A high blood cholesterol level can increase the risk of heart disease. It is believed that viscous fiber interferes with the re-absorption of bile acids in the intestines. Bile acids are high in cholesterol and are released into your intestine by your gallbladder to help with the digestion of fat. The bile acids are likely grabbed by the fiber before they can be reabsorbed by the body. They then end up being excreted along with the fiber in your waste products. Your body replaces these lost bile acids by removing cholesterol from the blood to generate new bile acids in the liver. Blood cholesterol levels are lowered as a result.
Slow-moving, viscous, soluble fibers may reduce the rate at which fat and carbohydrates are absorbed from your meals. Delayed absorption can lower the surge of fat in your blood after a meal, and may help improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin. Both high levels of fat in the blood and a decreased sensitivity to insulin are considered risk factors for heart disease.
Viscous, soluble fibers can also help individuals with diabetes mellitus. They slow the release of food from your stomach, and thus slow down the digestion and absorption of glucose. This could help avoid a large spike in blood glucose after eating and help those with diabetes improve the long-term control of their blood glucose level.
Effects of not having enough fiber:
1. Constipation
One of the first signs of a diet that is lacking sufficient fiber is constipation. Fiber helps to soften stools and move things along. Without enough fiber in the diet, stools become hard and the elimination process is slowed down.
2. High Blood Pressure
Fiber appears to have a large influence on blood pressure levels. Several studies suggest that high fiber intake can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
3. Diabetes
Fiber helps to regulate blood sugar. One study showed that people who consumed fiber from cereals and grains (averaging 16.6 grams per day) had a 27 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those that averaged 6.6 grams per day. The fiber obtained from fruits and vegetables did not seem to have the same effect. Though fruits and vegetables are very important to a healthy diet, this points to why we need a variety of foods for optimal health.
4. Cardiovascular Disease
A diet lacking adequate fiber can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. People who have diets lacking fiber have higher levels of C-reactive protein. High levels of C-reactive protein can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Fiber also has a cholesterol lowering benefit. Studies show that by increasing average daily fiber intake from 10 to 20 grams per day, the risk of dying from heart disease can be lowered by 19-27 percent.
5. Obesity
Fiber seems to slow down fat absorption. Stools from people eating a diet high in fiber have more fat in them than stools from those with minimal fiber in their diet. Those deficient in fiber may have a harder time controlling their weight.
6. Cancer
Inadequate fiber intake may increase the risk of developing colon cancer. Populations with high fiber consumption have a much lower incidence of developing this disease. One theory suggests that fiber prevents toxins from having an adverse effect on colon cells, by sweeping them out of the body before they have a chance to do damage. Fiber also has the ability to absorb bile acids as well as other possible irritants that could adversely affect the intestinal lining and lead to the development of cancer.
Preliminary studies show that fiber consumption may prove beneficial in preventing stomach and breast cancers. Fiber can bind with extra estrogen and toxins in the intestines and keep them from affecting susceptible tissues.
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