Dietary fiber, found in plant foods, is largely indigestible and contributes few calories or nutrients. It improves digestive function, bowel movements, and colon health, and can lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber delays nutrient absorption and lowers cholesterol, while insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool and improves colon function.
Dietary fiber is a form of carbohydrate that humans consume through plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Unlike other carbohydrates, however, which are made up of chains of sugars, fiber is largely indigestible and therefore contributes almost no calories or nutrients to the diet. Instead, the effects of fiber on the digestive system are that it facilitates the passage of partially digested food through the gastrointestinal tract, improves the health and regularity of bowel movements, and improves colon health. Fiber also helps lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels by decreasing the amount of bile reabsorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall, and decreases the absorption of glucose through the walls of the digestive tract, thereby stabilizes blood sugar levels.
Of these effects of fiber on the digestive system, the best known is that it contributes to colon health by moving partially digested food more quickly through the intestines. Dietary fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is the type available in legumes, vegetables, fruits, and some whole grains. It dissolves in water and affects the absorption of certain nutrients through the intestinal wall. Insoluble fiber is found in whole wheat products, nuts, and many vegetables. This type of fiber adds bulk to food that passes through the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently leaves the body in the form of feces.
The effect of insoluble fiber on the digestive system is that it therefore improves its function. It adds the weight and bulk to the stool that encourages faster passage through the colon, and it also makes bowel movements easier by softening the stool. Additionally, insoluble fiber intake has been linked to a lower risk of colon diseases such as diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, and colon cancer, and is said to decrease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
There is an equally beneficial effect of soluble fiber on the digestive system. This type of fiber when mixed with water creates a slimy substance that delays the absorption of certain nutrients through the walls of the intestine and into the bloodstream. Glucose, for example, the most basic form of carbohydrate the body uses for energy, enters the bloodstream this way, raising blood sugar levels. Consuming soluble fiber helps slow this process so that glucose enters the blood more gradually and blood sugar levels do not rise, so it is recommended that diabetics eat plenty of soluble fiber-dense foods.
Additional effects of soluble fiber on the digestive system include its role in lowering blood cholesterol levels. It does this by slowing the reabsorption of bile from the liver through the walls of the colon, so much of this bile leaves the body in the feces. To make more bile than the body requires, the liver uses cholesterol, thus lowering the amount in the bloodstream, particularly LDL or “bad” cholesterol.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
