Adding More Fiber to Diet Boosts Health, Say Studies

Studies conducted by scientists have contributed to the growing body of evidence for the benefits of added fibres in the diet.Many diets continue to lack recommended servings of foods naturally high in fibre like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains resulting in low fibre intake. These types of fibre can be added to a wide range of foods and contribute similar health benefits as "intact" fibres, providing a viable option to help people increase their fibre intake to achieve daily recommendations. 
Each of the studies was supported by Tate and Lyle, a global leader in health and wellness innovation and provider of specialty food ingredients. 
Recently published in the Journal of Nutrition, Timm et al. reported that 36 healthy adults consuming 20 grams of added fibre, either STA-LITE Polydextrose or PROMITOR Soluble Corn Fibre per day, in addition to their usual lower fibre diet, which was approximately 13-14 g/day compared to the recommended 25 g/day for women and 38 g/day for men, experienced improved laxation with minimal gastrointestinal tolerance issues. 
These results indicate that both types of fibre tested in this study are well tolerated and can be successfully added to the diet to help meet dietary recommendations. 
"Since people aren't meeting their fibre goals with the foods they currently eat, adding fibres to foods is a realistic and simple way to address this global public health concern," said Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD of the University of Minnesota, an expert in fibre research and lead investigator of this study. 
Another study which was presented this week at the American Society for Nutrition Experimental Biology conference in Boston, using a double blind, randomized cross-over design found that an emerging fibre, soluble fibre dextrin (SFD) from Tate and Lyle, may help promote satiety, or the feeling of fullness, from 3 to 8.5 hours after consumption. 
Tate and Lyle's soluble fibre dextrin is a resistant dextrin that can be isolated from tapioca or corn. 
Researchers from Iowa State University provided 41 healthy adults with lunch including a test beverage containing 10 or 20 g of fibre from tapioca SFD versus a maltodextrin control beverage followed by a snack two and a half hours later. 
The study participants reported feeling fuller, less feeling of hunger and less desire to eat compared to the control beverage from 3 to 8.5 hours after consumption of the beverage that contained 20 g of fibre as SFD, while the SFD had no impact on appetite or overall food intake during the first 2.5 hours post consumption. 
These results indicate that the SFD may be slowly digested leading to delayed effects on appetite. 
"This newly developed soluble fibre dextrin can increase fibre intake, helping consumers meet fibre recommendations, while simultaneously controlling their appetite which may lead to reduced energy intake," stated James Hollis, PhD, a lead researcher on the study. 
A third study, also presented at the American Society for Nutrition Experimental Biology conference in Boston, assessed the effect of PROMITOR Soluble Corn Fibre (SCF) on fecal microbiota (bacterial environment of the gut) in relation to calcium absorption in 24 racially diverse, male and female adolescents-a population in need of adequate calcium intake for bone growth and development. 
Researchers from Purdue University found that when the adolescents consumed 12 g/day of SCF versus a control, they experienced a 12 percent increase in calcium absorption. This increase in calcium absorption was correlated with significant increases in specific strains of beneficial bacteria, namely Bacteroides, Alistipes, Butyricicoccus, Oscillibacter, and Dialister in the gut suggesting that SCF may increase calcium absorption through changes in gut microbiota (6). 
"Emerging research on soluble corn fibre indicates that added fibres provide health benefits such as increased calcium absorption via their effect on beneficial bacteria," said Connie Weaver, PhD, a lead researcher on this study. 
This is the first study to show that increases in these specific bacteria were significantly correlated with the observed increase in calcium absorption.
Source-ANI