Dietary fibre: Why you need more to save your health

Did you know that for each 10-gram per day increase in dietary fibre the reduction in risk for Cardiovascular Disease could be up to 19%?
Or that the same daily increase in fibre may reduce the risk of Colorectal Cancer by 10%?

The list of health benefits associated with high dietary fibre is impressive… Here are a few of the benefits:

• Immune and inflammatory responses
• Protection from obesity
• Diabetes prevention and management
• Lower heart disease and cardiovascular disease risk
• Guard against colorectal cancer; and
• Aid in digestive health

Fibre is an often overlooked nutrient and something that most Australians know little about, apart from its link with digestion and staying ‘regular’. But just because fibre flies under the radar, it doesn’t mean it’s not important.

Why should we care about fibre? Optimal fibre intake has been shown to reduce the risk of, and in many cases protect against, a range of common lifestyle related diseases.

This is particularly important to consider when you think about the fact that obesity, heart disease, type two diabetes, stroke and cancer account for almost two thirds of $100 billion expended each year on health.

Unfortunately, Newspoll research commissioned by Sanitarium showed that one fifth of Australians don’t believe they are getting enough fibre and many are not aware of the benefits of this nutrient, beyond it’s link to digestive health.

Exciting research documented in Focus on Fibre reveals that fibre has direct links with the immune system with a recent animal study identifying fibre as having a protective role against asthma.

Understanding what happens to fibre when it reaches the large intestine and is broken down by the bacteria has been a crucial first step in this new research relating to asthma.

A number of by-products or metabolites called Short Chain Fatty Acids are created from the fermentation (break down) of fibre by gut bacteria and it is these metabolites that are central in fibres ability to influence immune responses.

The Short Chain Fatty Acids bind with specific receptors to impact the immune response resulting in an anti-inflammatory effect. In the European study, mice on a high fibre diet were protected against a severe inflammatory response when exposed to dust mite whereas the mice on low fibre diets experienced a strong allergic reaction in their airways.

The research team then confirmed that it was the Short Chain Fatty Acids, generated via the fermentation of dietary fibre that facilitated the protective effect.

This is ground breaking and it just goes to show that the while many of the benefits of fibre are well documented there could be a whole raft of other benefits yet to be uncovered.

There are three key types of fibre, and we need every one! To feel the benefits, people should be consuming the three main types of fibre – soluble, insoluble and resistant starch.

Soluble fibre these are gel-like fibres that can lower blood sugar levels, and is found in oats, barley, rye, grain foods, fruits vegetables nuts and seeds as well as legumes like baked beans, lentils and red kidney beans.

Wholegrains including brown rice, wholemeal bread as well as wholegrain cereals and nuts are fantastic sources of insoluble fibre. These are the “bulking fibres” that are so important for keeping things moving.
Resistant starch can be found in foods such as grains including millet, firm bananas, lentils, soy, pasta and cold cooked potatoes. It resists digestion in the small intestine to reach the bowel where it produces a range of beneficial changes in the colon.

To boost your intake: Getting enough fibre is actually easy and in many cases it’s just a case of making a simple swap. Here are some of my top tips to help you get your optimal intake of disease-fighting fibre:

1. Instead of white bread, rice and pasta, go for grain based or wholemeal varieties of bread, and brown or wholemeal varieties of rice and pasta.
2. When buying cereals, look for wholegrains. Choose products with wholegrain ingredients at the beginning of the list and look out for words such as whole, wholegrain, mixed grain, cracked, flaked or kibbled next to the name of the grain.
3. Add legumes such as baked beans, kidney beans, lima beans, soybeans, chickpeas, dried peas and lentils to soups, casseroles, salads and sauces.
4. Sprinkle chopped fresh or dried fruits, wheatgerm or seeds on breakfast cereal.
5. Try a handful of dried fruit and nuts as a snack or add some nuts to a stir-fry.
6. Instead of a milkshake, try a fruit smoothie made with a banana or other fresh fruit. You may also wish to add in rolled oats as an additional fibre boost.
7. Eat unpeeled fruits such as apples and pears, and vegetables like potatoes wherever possible as the skins are a valuable source of fibre.
8. Skip fruit juices as they contain virtually no fibre and go for a fresh piece of fruit instead.
9. Instead of sour cream or cream cheese-based dips, try a spicy bean dip or some hommus, which is made with chickpeas
10. Look on the nutrition panel of food products and choose those which provide at least 2 grams of dietary fibre per serve.

How do you keep up your fibre intake? Tell us in the comments below!