The perils of dieting – Part 1

Around autumn last year, some observant friends had noted that I had stopped having desserts at the end of dinners and also generally declined sugar with the coffee. When asked, my response was the year-end festivities will commence soon and the body needed to be prepared for the dietary tsunami heading its way.

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

BY CHRIS CHAN

And to a more or less large extent, that is perfectly true. What I don’t mention is that I am secretly enjoying cutting down on sugars and calories – and I don’t say this openly because many people would think I am kidding or somehow making fun of their dietary habits (which are somewhat unrestrained as mine used to be).

A conversation

It should be stated that dieting does not come naturally to someone like me. I like eating gourmet food, I like cooking good food and I like the science of food. If the natural habitat of a lion is the plains of Africa, my natural habitat would be a good restaurant or a well-equipped kitchen with a nice dining bar.

So what motivated my dietary aspirations was a conversation with a scientist who casually asked one evening why I hadn’t yet written an article about Type 3 diabetes.

An intriguing chat ensued and it turned out that Type 3 diabetes is the name by which many scientists now call Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

To put it very simply, AD is considered to be the expression of diabetes in the brain. Evidence has been building for the relationship between AD and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) for many years.

For example, AD is twice as likely for patients suffering from T2D, and amyloids typically found in the defective organs of a T2D patient have many similarities to the amyloids found in the brains of AD victims. Amyloids are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates of improperly folded proteins and polypeptides.

Not all food calories are equal – a lot depends on how the food was prepared or cooked before ingestion. Filepics

Some research had suggested strongly that the brain itself produces insulin but this has yet to be conclusively validated. Insulin is one of the rare hormones that can cross the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) – that is, it can be transported across the normal blood circulatory system into the brain, and therefore insulin found in the Central Nervous System (CNS) may have originated from the pancreas.

However, the expected amount of insulin crossing the BBB does not tally with the higher total amount found in various parts of the CNS – hence the premise about the brain’s ability to produce its own insulin.

What is not in doubt is that there are several neural receptors for insulin and insulin is a crucial hormone for the proper functioning of the brain. Although brain cells tend to process insulin somewhat differently from other parts of the body, it has been conclusively demonstrated that the brain can develop insulin tolerance – and one end result of this appears to be AD. In the body, insulin tolerance (or resistance to the effect of insulin) is a cause of T2D and hence the reason why many scientists now refer to AD as Type 3 diabetes.

Saying that, there is a caveat – not all patients with AD have T2D and not all T2D patients get AD.

This anomaly might be explained by the fact that insulin is handled differently in the brain than the body. For example, insulin signalling is involved in a variety of neuron functions and the disruption of this signalling may lead to the development of AD. Another antecedent of AD may be the excess of glucose in the brain (a condition of diabetes) causing an increase in the levels of a compound called beta-amyloid peptide – this compound is a neurotoxin which may be another cause of AD. In short, there may be several causes of AD – and it would seem that in many cases, diabetic conditions in the brain had been involved.

Back to dieting

As both AD and T2D are more common in overweight people and linked to sugar consumption, the new-found understanding of diabetes was sobering enough to a man of my girth and dietary habits to revisit some general objections to dieting.

The main thing to remember is that I am not a dietician, I have no medical qualifications and the following dietary suggestions are based on logical analysis of currently known facts – done much in the same way as I would process facts or statistics at work.

So even though I use it personally, please don’t follow my diet – this story is purely for your entertainment, although it may help you elect a suitable diet one day if you are so inclined.

Much of the data presented below is extrapolated from websites that provide suggested values for raw calorie numbers – and therefore may be subject to some source errors but the dietary principles are still reasonably sound, in my opinion.

The unequal calories

Some basic dietary facts need to be cleared up first. One is that not all food calories are equal – a lot depends on how the food had been prepared (or cooked) before ingestion. Foods which are easier to digest obviously need less processing by the digestive system. As an example, the calories from a cooked carrot are more likely to find its way to your waistline than the calories from a raw carrot.

Since the middle of the last century, something called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) had already been investigated – this is the cost in calories from the effort needed to chew, digest, absorb and dispose of food eaten.

The TEF is also known as Dietary-Induced Thermogenesis (DIT) which is defined as the increment of energy expenditure above the resting metabolic rate due to the cost of processing food.

It also explains why many calorie-counting diets do not work. For example, a person dieting on cooked foods would always absorb more calories than another person dieting on the raw versions of the same foods, and hence the weight loss effect is completely different between them even though they are both eating the same amount of calories – the TEF is really that significant.

Additionally, some food classes are much easier to process than others:

• Sugars lose only 5% or less of their calorific value during food assimilation. This includes common carbohydrates such as amylopectin (such as that found in jasmine rice and white flour) and other refined carbohydrates. Glucose loses hardly any of its calorific value.

• Other carbohydrates such as wholemeal grains can require up to 15% of their calorific value to cover DIT. Fibrous carbohydrates such as certain vegetables (eg. broccoli, asparagus, legumes, kale, etc) can lose up to 20% of their calorific value due to TEF.

• Fats require between 5 to 15% of their calories to cover their thermic effect although it had been suggested that some medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) can raise the DIT by some 50%. These MCFAs can be found in coconut oil and, oddly, the fat in goat milk.

• Proteins have the highest thermic effect, requiring the loss of 20-35% of their calories during food assimilation – this is particularly pleasing as I like meat a lot.

So from the above, one can see that there will be a substantial difference in absorbed calories between someone eating 2,000 calories of white bread with jam (around 1,900 calories absorbed), and someone else chewing on 2,000 calories of rare lean steak (around 1,400 calories absorbed).

Can you resist this…

or this?

Your gut feeling

The other thing to consider is the effect of food on gut flora – ie the microflora in the intestines of the body. This gut microbiota is so crucial to health that it may be considered as a special virtual organ within the body and it is critical to maintain the health of intestinal flora – examples of its usefulness include the promotion of a good immune system, synthesising vitamins, building defences against allergies, general enhancement of the absorption of food nutrients, etc.

Breakfasts don’t matter

Contrary to much advice, studies have indicated that breakfasts do not mean much in the context of a balanced daily eating pattern. However, some people need an energy boost in the morning while others, like me, studiously avoid breakfast.

Studies have shown that the daily eating pattern does not really matter that significantly – having only a huge lunch and skipping dinner is perfectly fine, eating three times or more a day is also fine.

Even the type of food does not matter – for example, the notion of having sweetened cereals for breakfast is a relatively recent invention which started only around the 1920s, and since then has probably suited the cereal companies’ pockets more than your body.

So you should settle on a comfortable eating pattern (or no dining pattern at all) – but always be aware of your daily calorie requirement. If you need it, there are many websites that can help you track your daily calorie consumption but it is just as easy to use a spreadsheet on your phone if you already know the foods that you generally enjoy eating.

Naff targets and proposed new targets

One other noteworthy comment is that the daily dietary targets usually suggested for men and women are pretty naff. The general recommended target for men is 2,500 calories a day and women around 2,000 calories a day. This may be fine if you are a six-foot Caucasian man who jogs 5km a day but most people are either rather less statuesque or don’t jog so much – or in my case, both.

A rough approximation of how many calories you actually need may be calculated quite simply based on your height in centimetres and your age, using a simple table which I have devised. If you are, say, 170cm in height, then you can work out your daily requirement from the following:

Start by calculating the base calories for your height. To obtain this, simply multiply your height in cm by 10. So 170cm x 10 = 1,700 base calories.

Add the following to the base calories depending on your age:

Age	20	30	40	50	60	70
Calories (men)	200	130	60	-10	-80	-150
Calories (women)	-150	-220	-290	-360	-430	-500

So a 30-year old man with a height of 170cm should need 1,700 + 130 = 1,830 calories daily while a 30-year old woman of the same height should require roughly 1700 – 220 = 1,480 calories a day.

In the table, note that there are a few basic assumptions built in, which are: (i) the person is already a little overweight, (ii) the person is also actively moving around in an upright fashion for 20-30 minutes a day (eg. walking), and (iii) the person does not mind losing weight pretty gradually – but these are pretty reasonable expectations if someone is thinking about going on a diet.

Oh, just in case you’re thinking about losing weight in a hurry, you might like to know that cutting 500 calories each day from your calculated calorie requirement above will result in an additional weight loss of 0.5 kilos over a week – and cutting 1,000 calories a day will lose an extra kilo a week. However, this would probably be a pretty horrid regime to follow. I am definitely too cranky to even attempt something as crazy as that – so I won’t. It’s hard enough that life often seems like a constant battle between the love of good food and not getting fatter, especially as I stretch my legs out under a comfortable dinner table.

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Next: Details of a simple but unambitious diet based on known scientific facts.

Source:  http://www.star2.com/living/viewpoints/2016/02/14/chris-chan-curious-cook-the-perils-of-dieting-part-1/

This post is on Healthwise

The perils of dieting – Part 2

Some simple laws of physics dictate how all diets work in general. If you consume more than you burn off and excrete, then you will put on weight. Otherwise, you will maintain your current weight or lose some weight.

FEBRUARY 28, 2016 FOOD, FOOD NEWS, LIVING, VIEWPOINTS

BY CHRIS CHAN

It should be stated now that my proposed diet is not ambitious – there is no requirement to lose 20 kilos within a month so that I can star in a new movie. Rather, the target is to have a small reduction in weight every week or so, and that is mainly so that I can binge on good food and drink occasionally.

I am not a great believer in maintaining a steady weight throughout the year – our Palaeolithic ancestors certainly didn’t maintain steady body weights all year round. In fact, our ancestors stuffed themselves when food was available and starved when food was scarce.

So it would be reasonable to assume that our bodies would probably function pretty efficiently if our weights vary throughout the year – as long as our weights swing down periodically as well as up, therefore maintaining roughly the same average weight over the year

The basic rules

So the simple rules to follow for this unambitious diet are as follows:

1. The first rule of the diet is that any food you enjoy eating should continue to be eaten. There are no exceptions to this rule, although it is expected that items containing excessive sugars would wean themselves off over a period of time (explanation later).

2. The second rule is that you must look after your intestinal flora. This is done by ingesting a little pot of probiotic yoghurt or drink every day, and also by eating some tasty suggested foods (listed below).

3. The third rule is to swallow a multi-vitamin pill every other day, but this is pretty optional and do this only if you have been eating a lot of bad food due to Rule 1 above.

4. The fourth rule is that you must be capable of simple arithmetic, and preferably be capable of using a spreadsheet.

5. The fifth rule states that you can actually eat more than your required calorie intake every day – provided you do the amount of exercise needed to burn off those excess calories.

Rule 1

So here is how this diet works: As per Rule 1, make a list of foods that you really, really like – if there is any food which would compromise your quality of life if it was missing, please include it on the list. Here is an example list:

■ Beef sirloin steak

■ Pork (especially bacon)

■ Chicken curry

■ Salmon

■ Chocolate

■ Potato crisps

■ Ice cream

For each of the food items, look up on the internet the calories per 100g and also derive the adjusted TEF calories per 100g (TEF refers to Thermic Effect of Food and this is the cost in calories from the effort needed to chew, digest, absorb and dispose of food eaten – refer to “The Perils of Dieting – Part 1” for how to calculate the TEF calories). For example, it may look like this:

ITEM	Calories per 100g	Adjusted TEF Calories
Sirloin steak	230	185
Bacon	288 (grilled)	230
Chicken curry	157 (masala)	140
Salmon	217 (raw)	170
Chocolate	530 (Cadbury’s)	520
Potato crisps	435	413
Ice cream	216 (100ml)	205

The foods above don’t tend to be served alone by themselves. Usually they will appear garnished with sauce, bread, mayonnaise or cream, so a list of some common miscreants is as follows (and you can always add more as necessary):

ITEM	Calories per 10g	Adjusted TEF Calories
Cooking oil	82	74
Mayonnaise	80	72
Butter	75	68
Sugar	42	40
Cream	46	41
Bread	26	23
French fries	23	20
Cooked rice	14	13

Rule 2

For Rule 2, choose and eat at least 1 or 2 items from the following list every day – note that you do not have to eat much of them (even 20g a day of most items is enough, and only 10g of nuts is adequate). You can add or substitute the items as long as the items you elect contain significant amounts of either soluble or insoluble dietary fibre. The calorie count against each item is also included – you will need that for Rule 4:

ITEM	Calories per 20g	Adjusted TEF Calories
Green peas, beans	15	12
Oats, chia, barley	76	68
Bananas, dark fruits	20	18
Broccoli, carrots	6	5
Onions, garlic	7	6
Peanuts, almonds	60 per 10g	54
Cauliflower, celery	6	5
Avocado, tomatoes	37	33
Probiotic drink	43 per 65 ml	38
Probiotic yoghurt	110 per 125g pot	99

Rule 3

Rule 3 applies only when you have been ingesting a lot of stuff without any major vitamins or nutrients – it is actually very unlikely but if it does happen, just swallow a multi-vitamin pill every other day. There has been research that suggests that general multi-vitamin supplements do not work all that effectively but the overall consensus is that such supplements can assist in a vitamin deficient diet.

Rule 4

To use Rule 4, just apply some simple arithmetic and count up the daily TEF calories you have ingested for each day. A single day example for a 30-year-old man may look like this:

ITEM	TEF Calories (100g)	Grams eaten	Total Calories
Sirloin steak	185	250	463
Chicken curry	140	300	420
Chocolate	520	50	260
Ice cream	205	200	260
Cooked rice	130	200	260
Cooking oil	740	20	148
Probiotic yoghurt	79	110	99
TOTAL			2,060

As the target daily calories for a 30-year-old man is 1,830 (refer “The Perils of Dieting – Part 1” for how to calculate your target daily calories for weight loss), this means that he has exceeded his target by 230 calories. If he does not do some exercise (see Rule 5 table below), this amount of food can cause a slow increase in weight.

Rule 5

Rule 5 comes in if you have accidentally (or deliberately) eaten more calories than planned for the day. It is really quite simple to fix any minor overeating – just indulge in some exertions to burn up the excess calories. Some common exercises and their calorific impact for 30 minutes of activity are listed as follows:

Activity	Calories burnt per 30 minutes
Brisk walking	125
Walking on stairs	170
Badminton	190
Cycling (easy)	155
Cycling (medium)	250
Running (easy)	370
Dancing	125
Ping pong	112

So for the man who had ingested 2,060 calories when only 1,830 calories was required, he needs only to walk up and down some stairs for just over 40 minutes during the day to burn off the excess 230 calories. Or he can do some running after work for 19 minutes. As a tip, if he is to carry a backpack or a weight of 10 kilos while walking or running, the rate at which the calories can be consumed will increase by 12%.

Rule 6

Oh, I almost forgot to mention Rule 6, which is very easy indeed. We are all civilised, cultured people (more or less) so Rule 6 simply states that there is no need to chomp or wolf down your food – dining is not a speed-eating competition.

Actually, not chewing your food properly has a small advantage in that un-masticated food raises the TEF level a little but unfortunately you would also eat more (which negates the small increase in the TEF) – so overall it is not worth eating too quickly.

Instead, the best part of the diet might simply be that you will learn to eat slower, chew food more, savouring every morsel while you prepare food for digestion.

The curious banana

As an aside, unripe bananas contain around 37% starch but by the time they ripen, the starch content dwindles down to only 3% – the starch has been converted into sugar during ripening. Why this is interesting is that although the total calories are identical between unripe and ripe bananas, an unripe banana adds significantly fewer calories after digestion than the ripened fruit.

This is because the starch in unripe bananas is resistant to the digestive processes. Starch in food is presented as A-type or B-type crystal structures – wheat and maize have A-type starches which are much more easily digestible than the B-type starches found in unripe bananas and certain tubers.

Once ripened, bananas actually do contain a lot of sugar – however, as mentioned, although the calories remain the same, the TEF is much higher in unripe bananas. Due to the amount of B-type starches, unripe bananas are also great as nutrients for intestinal microflora – but it has to be said that some people cannot digest unripe bananas well, so please don’t take this as advice to excessively eat unripe bananas.

Those hunger pangs

If you develop hunger pangs during the day (which is likely at the beginning of the diet), eat languidly as many cucumber slices, celery, chopped cabbage or other raw vegetables as you like. And drink slowly lots of mineral water (still or sparkling), light bone or vegetable broths, soups of Marmite or Bovril or Vegemite – and black tea or coffee which you can sweeten with artificial sugars if you crave the taste of sweet things.

Sweet again

Talking of sweet things returns us to the subject of Alzheimer’s Disease or Type 3 Diabetes. The suggested diet does help to reduce the amount of refined sugars ingested daily because if you load your diet with sugary food, you will reach the daily calories target so quickly that you will feel like starving after the sugar rush – and that is going to be pretty painful.

The reason is simply because sugar is digested so quickly that you will always feel hungry on a sugary diet – the hormone ghrelin induces the hunger pangs and it only starts to retreat after some substantive food has been eaten which requires slower digestion in the stomach.

If the diet is maintained, you will want to cut down the sugar content by yourself (simply to avoid the hunger pangs), the body will then adapt itself to a slower digestive process with a more balanced mix of foods – and the craving for sugar should get substantially reduced as you get used to the gentle effect of ghrelin easing away.

As ghrelin abates, another hormone called leptin is produced as food fills up the stomach – this hormone induces the sensation of satiety and satisfaction (or engorgement) after a good meal

Blowing up the diet

The main aspect of this diet is, of course, awareness. You now know how to calculate the calories you need daily to maintain a healthier weight regime. You are aware about the TEF (or DIT) and can now make better food choices; eg. always elect the raw or less-cooked option if feasible. Importantly, you would also have slowly conditioned your body to avoid excess sugar.

If you had been habitually eating too much of the foods you love and as a consequence, introducing too many calories into your body, you now have the information to do something about it – and it really doesn’t have to hurt.

Maybe it means skipping an extra scoop of ice cream or having a 200g steak instead of a 300g steak – but you now know it’s better to enjoy chewing it longer. And of course, you can trim off any daily excess calories with some exercise – everyone knows that regular physical exertion is never a bad thing.

Please note that as part of this diet, it is perfectly fine to exceed your daily calorie limit at least once a month (regardless of the exercising) – but never do this more than two to three times a month. So save your bingeing for the occasions when you know you’re going to have a smashing meal and drinks with family or friends.

The reason why you can afford to binge occasionally is because the diet will return you to the right dietary track almost immediately so the negative effects of sporadic overindulgence are somewhat limited.

And the wine

The diet might help develop a greater appreciation of the foods you’ve always enjoyed – mainly it gives time for the ghrelin and leptin hormones to work harmoniously and provide that gentle, pleasant sensation which accompanies a satisfying but not overly expansive meal that fits your body’s requirement like a glove.

Incidentally, it also leaves a bit of space for a glass of fine wine – which is around 76 calories but somehow this never seems to matter. So, genially and blithely forgetting about the wine calories is about the only major peril of this diet that I have (quite often) encountered so far.

And once again, this diet is just my personal scheme and is not based on any official dietary or medical expertise – so please do not follow it without taking professional advice beforehand.

Source:  http://www.star2.com/food/food-news/2016/02/28/the-perils-of-dieting-part-2/

This post is on Healthwise

MUST READ: Bridging the Fiber Gap

Over 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates said that all disease begins in the gut.

Modern science is proving how right he was.

Scientists are discovering that fiber not only boosts digestive health but also contributes to our immune function.1 This makes sense, considering 70% to 80% of the cells of the immune system are located in the gastrointestinal tract.2

April 2016

By Leslie Stanton

Over 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates said that all disease begins in the gut.

Modern science is proving how right he was.

Scientists are discovering that fiber not only boosts digestive health but also contributes to our immune function.1 This makes sense, considering 70% to 80% of the cells of the immune system are located in the gastrointestinal tract.2

Studies show that dietary fiber has multiple properties that improve cardiovascular and metabolic biomarkers—and even extend life span.

Despite its importance, few Americans get the recommended intake of fiber per day through diet alone, making what is called the “fiber gap” a public health concern.

To help fill this dietary “gap,” researchers have created a broad-spectrum formula by combining three different fibers that offer immune support and improved intestinal health.

The primary component is a unique fiber called beta-glucan. Derived from baker’s yeast, beta-glucans are essential for boosting the intestine’s immune system function. Beta-glucans have a unique molecular structure that captures the attention of cells in the immune system of the intestine.3-5

When beta-glucans are blended with two other fiber sources, psyllium and fruit from the African Baobab tree, the combination offers powerful immune metabolic, and intestinal support.

Beta-Glucans Revive Exhausted Immune Systems

Beta-glucans are crucial weapons in the fight for health and longevity. These molecules naturally boost the immune system by optimizing its response to diseases and infection.6

While beta-glucans can be obtained from sources such as shiitake mushrooms and cereal grains, beta-glucans that come specifically from baker’s yeast have a unique molecular structure that grabs the attention of cells in the immune system of the intestine.3-5

Beta-glucans “prime” the immune system to be ready to respond to threats throughout the entire body. Such priming helps increase the immune system’s responsiveness to foreign molecules, such as those found on bacteria and viruses. In addition, it can assist in the fight against cancer by enhancing the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy malignant cells.6

Beta-glucans have numerous actions that help supercharge the immune system:

• Beta-glucans promote the emergence of T cells,7 which are white blood cells that help the body fight diseases or harmful substances.
• Beta-glucans have been shown to increase the body’s antitumor immune response, while decreasing immune-suppressive cells that cancer cells use as protection against immune detection and destruction.3
• Beta-glucans promote the production of interferon-gamma, a powerful antiviral and immune-modulating signaling protein with specific actions against many viruses that cause human disease.8
• Finally, beta-glucans from baker’s yeast have been found to increase the salivary levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies. Immunoglobulin A antibodies are the first line of defense against cold and flu viruses and may help prevent worsening of symptoms.9

All of these immune-boosting benefits seen at the cellular level have been shown to have real-world effects. Human studies demonstrate how beta-glucan supplementation can rejuvenate the immune systems of those who need it most.

Human Studies

 

Marathon runners are especially good subjects for the study of immune-boosting supplements because they are particularly susceptible to developing upper respiratory tract infections (colds) after a run.9,10

Beta-glucans have been found to reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms in marathon runners, demonstrating their ability to activate immune cells.

In one study, a daily dose of 250 or 500 mg of beta-glucans was found to reduce reports of upper respiratory tract infections in the four weeks following a marathon.11That improvement was also associated with better overall health and decreased confusion, fatigue, tension, and anger, as well as increased vigor, based on a standard profile of mood state survey.

A subsequent study showed that marathon athletes who supplemented with beta-glucans demonstrated a significant 37% reduction in the number of days they presented with cold or flu symptoms in the 28-day period following a marathon, compared with placebo recipients. Levels of salivary antibodies (immunoglobulin A) were also increased by 32% at two hours following exercise, compared with placebo recipients.9

Any form of strenuous exercise temporarily weakens the immune system.12 For the next study, recreationally active men and women supplemented with 250 mg per day of beta-glucans. After 10 days, the subjects experienced significant increases in microbe-destroying white blood cells and signaling molecules that promote immune system detection and destruction of viruses and bacteria.12

The likely explanation for the reduction in cold or flu symptoms seen in such subjects is that immunoglobulin A is vital in preventing viruses from attaching to the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat.13

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Fiber Trio Provides Critical Immune Support

• Americans suffer from a “fiber gap,” consuming only one-half to two-thirds of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber.
• This fiber gap contributes not only to suboptimal intestinal health but also to a growing vulnerability to systemic disorders such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as inadequate immune function.
• Researchers have identified three forms of fiber that support both immune and intestinal health.
• Beta-glucans from baker’s yeast powerfully boost immune function in the intestine, causing effects throughout the whole body.
• Beta-glucans reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms in stressed humans by activating immune cells through specific molecular mechanisms.
• Psyllium fiber and Baobab fruit powder have proven abilities to release the vital short-chain fatty acids the body needs for optimum immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic function.
• Using these three sources of fiber together can help close the fiber gap in order to ensure total body health.

Beta-Glucans Battle the Impacts of Stress

Stress also lowers the immune system’s resistance to cold symptoms. Beta-glucans from baker’s yeast, dosed at 250 or 500 mg per day for four weeks, reduced such symptoms. Again, these benefits were accompanied by an improvement in overall health and vigor and a reduction in tension, fatigue, and confusion, based on the profile of mood states standard survey.14

In a group of healthy women with moderate psychological stress, just 12 weeks of supplementation with 250 mg of beta-glucans per day significantly reduced upper respiratory symptoms by 66% compared to placebo. Additionally, the women taking beta-glucans experienced a boost in overall well-being scores by more than 8%and mental/physical energy levels by 21%.15

Another group of people known to be under a tremendous amount of stress are university students. A study published in Nutrition analyzed healthy university students at the peak of the cold season for 90 days. In students who developed symptoms during this time, the ones taking 250 mg per day of beta-glucans showed a clinically relevant reduction in the total number of days with symptoms compared with placebo recipients. The supplemented students also had a statistically significant increase in the ability to “breathe easily.”16

Protection against an Overactive Immune Response

Allergies are at the other end of the spectrum of immune system disturbances. They are characterized by anoveractive immune response to foreign matter. Evidence of the comprehensive immune modulating effect of beta-glucans comes from a study of ragweed allergy sufferers who are otherwise healthy.17

At the beginning of the fall ragweed season, subjects began supplementation with either beta-glucan or a placebo for four weeks. Supplementation resulted in significant reductions of 28% in total allergy symptoms,52% in symptom severity, and 37% in symptom rating on a visual scale.17

On the profile of mood states scale, supplemented subjects reported significant increases in vigor of 10%, as well as reductions in tension (34%), depression (45%), anger (41%), fatigue (38%), and confusion (34%). And on a health survey used in a variety of studies, beta-glucan recipients scored a significant 11% higher on physical health, 19% higher on energy, and 7% higher on emotional well-being, compared with placebo recipients.17

Finally, the beta-glucan group reported significant reductions in allergy-related sleep problems (53%), nasal symptoms (59%), eye symptoms (57%), and non-nasal symptoms (50%), as well as improvements in activities (53%), emotions (57%), quality of life (56%), and improved global mood state (13%).17

An array of research has shown the beneficial effects on the immune system in those that supplement with beta-glucans derived from baker’s yeast. Fiber supplementation with psyllium and Baobab fruit offers an added layer of immune and health-boosting properties as we are about to learn.

SOLUBLE/INSOLUBLE FIBER TYPES

Dietary fiber comes in two main categories, soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber, as the name implies, can dissolve in water. It is the chief source of fermentable fiber that is digested in the colon to produce vital short-chain fatty acids.

Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water, and its chief function is to provide bulk to fecal matter. The combination of beta-glucans, psyllium, and fruit from the Baobab tree provide fiber in a ratio of approximately 75% or more soluble fiber to about 25% insoluble fiber.

Why Is Fiber So Important?

The secret to fiber’s dramatic impact on the immune system isn’t the fiber itself but what happens to it once it enters the body. Since fiber cannot be broken down by human digestive enzymes, it passes unchanged through the upper parts of our digestive tract. That undigested fiber is then fermented by beneficial bacteria living in part of the large bowel known as the colon.18

Fermentation itself has many benefits, including supporting beneficial gut bacteria. However, it is the breakdown products of the fermentation process that are now recognized as holding the key to improved digestive and total body health.18,19

Those byproducts are primarily short-chain fatty acids, specifically acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which nourish and protect the cells lining the colon wall.18-21

In addition to serving as beneficial nutrients for cells that line the intestines, recent studies demonstrate that the short-chain fatty acids produced from soluble fiber are crucial for normal immune function.19,20 These are a few of their most potent immune-boosting mechanisms of action:

• They regulate the activity of intestinal white blood cells, modulating their inflammatory responses to potential invaders such as disease-causing bacteria and viruses.20
• They help those white cells produce the chemical signals (cytokines, prostaglandins, and interferons) that direct other immune system cells to sites of infection where they destroy dangerous microbes.20
• They promote the development of regulatory T cells that either increase or decrease the immune response, depending on the nature of the microbe.22,23

It has recently been shown that the effects of these fiber-derived short-chain fatty acids go even further, powerfully modifying the expression of genes involved in immune function and longevity.20

Fiber and Metabolic Syndrome

 

In addition to boosting the immune system through the creation of short-chain fatty acids, fiber also promotes good health by fighting against metabolic syndrome (the combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, blood lipid disturbances, and loss of blood sugar control). Metabolic syndrome underlies multiple age-related disorders, promoting diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, major depression, and even osteoporosis, among other preventable conditions.24-26 Sufficient fiber in the diet is turning out to be essential in the fight against all of these conditions.

As early as 1981, there was evidence that improving fiber intake could help manage blood sugar levels in type II diabetics.27

Numerous studies have since confirmed that soluble fibers can lead to reductions in fasting and after-meal blood sugar, as well as beneficial reductions in insulin levels (high insulin is associated with cancer promotion). A reduction in blood cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure was also found.28-38 Other research demonstrates fiber-induced reductions in the response of appetite-promoting hormones, which may help to produce a sense of fullness and prevent overeating.39

Two fibers, psyllium and Baobab fruit, have been found to have specific benefits against metabolic syndrome. In addition, psyllium is rich in soluble fiber, which ferments the short-chain fatty acids that are so critical to maintaining a strong immune system. Let’s look at each one of these fibers.

Psyllium Fiber

Psyllium is the fiber obtained from the seed husks of a plantain (unrelated to the edible plantains found in many markets). When compared to the fiber in wheat bran, psyllium leads to greater production of beneficial  short-chain fatty acids (specifically butyrate, propionate, and acetate) throughout the colon, perhaps because it is more rapidly fermented by colonic bacteria.40

Butyrate has vital anti-inflammatory properties.41,42 In an experimental rat model of ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory bowel disease), psyllium fiber supplementation reduced colonic inflammation, while decreasing the concentrations of important pro-inflammatory signaling molecules, such as leukotriene B4 and tumor necrosis factor alpha.42

While perhaps most known for its ability to combat constipation, recent human studies have revealed that psyllium is a proven weapon in the fight against metabolic syndrome and its devastating consequences.37When used regularly, psyllium has been shown to beneficially impact cholesterol, blood sugar, and digestive health.

Cholesterol

Studies have shown that increased psyllium fiber intake translated into reductions in plasma triglycerides and low-density (“bad”) cholesterol.37,43,44 In a study involving type II diabetics, 12-week supplementation with 15 grams of psyllium daily significantly reduced plasma triglycerides by 25.5%, total cholesterol by 9.3%, and LDL cholesterol by 15.71%, while significantly raising levels of high-density (“good”) cholesterol in comparison to the placebo group.37

Smaller doses show benefits as well, with a 6-gram per day dose of psyllium leading to a 6% reduction in LDL cholesterol.32

Blood Sugar

On the blood sugar front, a daily dose of 15 grams (three 5-gram doses) produced a reduction in fasting blood glucose levels in patients with type II diabetes.37 Another study found reductions in all-day glucose levels (11%) and after-lunch glucose levels (19%) among psyllium recipients, compared with placebo.45

A similar dose of psyllium, 14 grams per day, reduced glucose absorption from a meal by more than 12%, contributing to a reduction in blood sugar.44

In type II diabetics specifically, two months of psyllium treatment effectively optimized metabolic control, significantly reducing body mass index, waist circumference, hemoglobin A1c (a measure of long-term glucose control), and fasting blood sugar levels.43

Digestive Health

Psyllium is best known for its ability to combat constipation. The seed husks swell greatly in water, which aids patients with constipation by providing bulk and retaining water in stools. Animal studies show that psyllium fiber increases fecal weight and water content more effectively than twice the dose of wheat bran fiber, while also increasing the water content of feces.40

And human studies have demonstrated psyllium fiber’s ability to reduce fecal incontinence by more than 50%compared with placebo, while increasing fecal water-holding capacity.46-48 In addition, it has been shown to effectively lower symptom severity in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) significantly better than placebo or bran.49

FIBER: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Fiber has long been viewed simply as a way to support regular, normal bowel movements (i.e., to overcome constipation).55 However, recent studies show a strong association between insufficient dietary fiber intake and the risk of dying from any cause. A large meta-analysis with nearly a million subjects showed that, compared with people with the lowest one-third of fiber intake, those in the highest third had a 16%reduction in the risk of death. Each 10-gram per day increase in fiber led to an additional 10% reduction in the risk of death.56

And a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) revealed that, compared with the lowest one-fifth, those with the highest one-fifth of fiber intake had a 22% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause.57 This study also showed reductions in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, infections, and respiratory diseases of 34% to 59% in women and24% to 56% in men.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends daily fiber intakes of 28 grams per day for men over 50 and 22 grams per day for women in that age group.58 However, the average American’s fiber intake is a meager 16 grams per day, a shortfall of 43% for men and 27% for women.59

The problem is that it is difficult to get the recommended amounts of fiber purely from food. And, while many people believe that whole-grain foods and nuts are a good fiber source, few such foods in fact supply the recommended 3 grams or more per serving of fiber. 55

Because of the health benefits that dietary fiber has on human health, this “fiber gap” has been identified as a major public health concern.55

In response to the fiber gap that is so pervasive in the American diet, scientists have formulated a fiber combination aimed at closing that gap, a combination that includes beta-glucans, psyllium, and Baobab fruit.

This unique combination of fibers provides 6 grams of fiber per serving. The recommended daily fiber intake for men and women are 28 and 22 grams per day, respectively.58 Given the average American’s daily fiber intake of 16 grams, one serving for women and two servings for men would bring total fiber consumption up to the daily recommendation by the USDA for men and women over 50.

Increasing fiber intake to and above recommended values can provide many health benefits, including reductions in risks for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and more.

Baobab Fruit Powder: Unique and Novel Source of Fiber

 

The powdered, dried fruit of the Baobab tree completes this protective fiber trio. Like psyllium, it has the ability to promote gut health while also defending against metabolic syndrome.

Baobab fruit has a long history of health-promoting effects on the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in the treatment of infantile diarrhea.50 But Baobab fruit pulp may also have unique prebiotic properties. This was demonstrated by a study showing that a 4%solution of the fruit pulp promoted growth of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus, an organism important in human intestinal health.51

Baobab fruit can also help defend against metabolic syndrome and diabetes by slowing the rate of digestion of carbohydrates. In a human study, dried Baobab fruit powder reduced the amount of rapidly digestible starch from white bread samples, an effect that lowered the resulting blood sugar response when people consumed the bread.52 This reduction in glycemic response is an important approach to lowering the damaging effects of blood sugar elevations, particularly following meals.53,54

Summary

While many people continue to think of dietary fiber as an aid to intestinal function only (e.g., preventing constipation), in reality fiber has taken on tremendous importance for supporting a healthy immune system and the health of the entire body.

Fiber molecules are fermented in the colon to produce valuable short-chain fatty acids that affect health in numerous ways—from preventing colon cancer and boosting immune function to modifying the metabolism to better cope when fats and sugars consumed.

A combination of three forms of fiber offers both immune and intestinal health support.

Beta-glucans “prime” the immune system, increasing its responsiveness to foreign molecules such as those found on bacteria and viruses, while enhancing its ability to detect and destroy malignant cells.

Psyllium fiber is a rich source of soluble fiber that produces beneficial short-chain fatty acids. It is a proven weapon in the fight against metabolic syndrome and its devastating consequences.

The powdered, dried fruit of the Baobab tree completes this protective trio, offering a boost to beneficial gut bacteria and slowing the surge of glucose into the bloodstream that occurs after a carbohydrate meal, helping to further defend against metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Without ample fiber intake, people risk more than constipation. Rather, they place themselves in unnecessary peril of serious but preventable immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders. Using these three sources of fiber together can help close the fiber gap in order to ensure total body health.

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension® Health Advisor at 1-866-864-3027.

Source:  http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2016/4/Bridging-the-Fiber-Gap/Page-01

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