Consistent intake of fiber through foods like berries and other fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and nuts can provide healthful benefits. Recent medical research has proven several physiological benefits of consuming fiber which include:
Most manufacturers of nutritional supplements make no attempt to provide fiber as a valuable macronutrient in their products, yet it is one that regulatory and advisory agencies increasingly emphasize consumers to include every day.
In North America, adults consume less than 50% of the recommended daily intake for fiber (children, teens and young adults even less). This low intake extends from perceptions that fiber sources such as various colorful fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains do not taste good or lack other properties sufficiently attractive to encourage regular dietary intake.
In general, fiber undergoes one of two fates in our digestive system. Insoluble (non-fermentable) fiber attracts water but otherwise passes through our digestive system unchanged, aiding clearance of the intestinal tract and promoting laxation and regularity. Fiber sources resistant to complete digestion are sometimes referred to as “resistant starch” or “resistant carbohydrates”.
Soluble (fermentable) fiber has more complex actions during digestion. “Fermentation” is simply the breakdown of carbohydrate (starch, sugar) molecules in the large intestine, yielding gases and further useful chemicals such as short chain fatty acids. More scientifically, fermentation is a metabolic activity involving use of one organic source to create others, such as enzymes which digest food and then release new elements. Among products of fermentation are gases (methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen) and short-chain fatty acids - new molecules clipped from the more complex digested fiber and food compounds.
Fatty acids like butyric acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and valeric acid have several beneficial physiological effects in the large intestine. These fatty acids make up about 90% of the total fatty acid yield from fermentation in the human body.
When produced by fermentation, short-chain fatty acids - primarily butyric acid, acetic acid and propionic acid - can:
Should the fatty acids from fermentation be transported into intestinal venous blood or absorbed via lymph channels, they reach the systemic circulation and can be deposited in the liver and kidneys where they have useful roles in the functions of those organs. From studies done on isolated liver cells or liver enzymes, for example, some scientists have speculated that fatty acids from fermented fibers have a specific benefit for liver health.
Fatty acids also inhibit cholesterol synthesis and lipid deposition, stabilize circulating glucose levels helpful in management of diabetes and weight control and reduce uric acid levels (and so may relieve gout). All these factors promote health of the cardiovascular and skeletal systems.
A further general benefit is that the health of the digestive tract is maintained by the fermentable fibers providing a food source for intestinal bacteria – the “good” bacteria that maintain normal digestive and waste functions of our intestines. As the largest immune-defense system of our bodies, this implies that dietary fiber contributes significantly to immune health.
For these reasons, we have incorporated fiber into each of our products and want to encourage our customers to gradually add fiber sources to your diets to attain the 30 gram per day goal.
The process of intestinal fermentation involves action by natural bacteria, sometimes called flora, which reside in our large intestine (primarily the colon). These bacteria use soluble fiber sources in the process of fermentation to produce valuable chemicals and health benefits.
Since the fiber serves as food for the bacteria already in the intestine, this is called a “prebiotic” nutrient value, meaning that before the bacteria can serve their main purpose in digestion, producing enzymes that digest food, they must be fed with a substrate they prefer – fermentable fiber.
Berry pectins, inulin, psyllium and xanthan gum are sources of soluble fibers purposefully used in our fiber products to provide this prebiotic function in the normal fermentation process.
Summarizing from the above section, short-chain fatty acids may 1) enhance calcium, magnesium and iron absorption, 2) contribute to lowering blood cholesterol, 3) promote colon health by raising acidity levels, thereby reducing colon cancer risk, 4) afford immune protection through a comprehensive array of intermediate effects within the intestinal systems.
For perspective about nutritional terms, “probiotic” nutrients (rather than prebiotic), are those that add already active bacteria to the intestinal tract from the diet. Examples of probiotic nutrient sources include yogurt with live bacterial cultures and some fermented cheeses and dairy products.
To capture a total prebiotic and probiotic benefit from a meal, Berry Wise™ users can enjoy our fiber formula mixed in your favorite yogurt.
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