Fiber
Episodes
Dr. Rhonda Patrick answers audience questions on various health, nutrition, and science topics in this Q&A session.
In this clip, Dr. Eran Elinav discusses the intestinal barrier's important role in absorbing nutrients while keeping out pathogens.
COVID-19 Q&A Part 2: Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. answers subscriber questions in a multi-part series.
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Dr. Rhonda Patrick answers audience questions on various health, nutrition, and science topics in this Q&A session.
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In this clip, Dr. Eran Elinav discusses the intestinal barrier's important role in absorbing nutrients while keeping out pathogens.
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COVID-19 Vitamin D Nutrition Exercise Microbiome Sleep Vitamin C Omega-3 Inflammation Immune System Virus Micronutrients Vitamin E Vaccine Genetics Testosterone Estrogen Zinc Fiber AutoimmunityCOVID-19 Q&A Part 2: Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. answers subscriber questions in a multi-part series.
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In this clip, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino describes the benefits of including fiber from diverse vegetable sources, both cooked and raw, within a ketogenic diet plan.
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In this clip, Dr. Peter Attia and Dr. Rhonda Patrick discuss how a healthy digestive tract interacts with the immune system to curb inflammation.
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Drs. Erica and Justin Sonnenburg both research the interaction between diet and the trillions of bacteria in the gut.
Topic Pages
News & Publications
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Prebiotic supplements can compensate for low fiber intake.
Dietary fiber refers to the indigestible components of plant-based foods. A growing body of evidence indicates that eating a fiber-rich diet decreases the risks of many chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and some types of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer. Most people living in the United States only get about half of the recommended amounts of fiber daily. Findings from a recent study suggest that prebiotic supplements can compensate for dietary shortcomings in fiber intake by promoting short-chain fatty acid production.
Prebiotics are food components that support the maintenance of a healthy microbiota and create an environment that is conducive to its survival. Fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, and trans-galacto-oligosaccharides are the most common prebiotics. Their fermentation by gut microbiota produces short-chain fatty acids, including acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Many commonly consumed fruits and vegetables, such as apples, bananas, and legumes, contain prebiotics, but they are also available in dietary supplement form.
The study involved 28 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 70 years. Each participant took one of three prebiotic supplements (inulin, wheat dextrin, or galactooligosaccharides) twice daily for one week, followed by one week off. They repeated this process with all three of the supplement products. Participants provided stool samples, completed diet surveys, and answered online surveys about their experiences with the supplements. The investigators measured short-chain fatty acid concentrations and microbial makeup in the stool samples.
They found that changes in short-chain fatty acid concentrations were person-specific and not related to which prebiotic supplement they took. Consequently, each participant’s response to the prebiotics was inversely related to their basal short-chain fatty acid concentration, which, in turn, was associated with their habitual fiber intake. Participants whose diets were low in dietary fiber experienced marked increases in butyrate production in their guts, likely due to increases in butyrate-producing microbes. However, participants whose diets were in high in dietary fiber experienced little change in the makeup of their gut microbes.
These findings suggest that people whose diets are low in dietary fiber would benefit from supplemental prebiotics to promote short-chain fatty acid production and promote gut and overall health. Learn more about prebiotics in this episode featuring Dr. Eran Elinav.
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Fiber-rich diets may reduce the risk of all causes of premature death. Fiber-rich diets may reduce the risk of all causes of premature death.
Dietary fiber refers to the indigestible components of plant-based foods. A growing body of evidence indicates that eating a fiber-rich diet decreases the risks of many chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and some types of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer. Findings presented in a 2015 report suggest that fiber-rich diets reduce the risk of all causes of premature death.
Public health recommendations for fiber intake vary based on a person’s age and sex. For example, females need between 22 and 28 grams of fiber per day, and males need between 28 and 34 grams per day. Most people living in the United States only get about half of the recommended amounts of fiber daily.
The authors of the report analyzed the data from 17 studies investigating links between dietary fiber intake and the risk of premature death. The studies involved more than 980,000 healthy adults and spanned a period of 20 years. The authors categorized the participants by age, sex, study population and location, dietary assessment method, and follow-up period. They also took various risk factors among the participants into account, such as their body mass index, physical activity level, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and whether they smoke or drank alcohol.
The analysis revealed that more than 67,000 of the various study participants died during the study period. Among the people that died, those with the highest dietary fiber intake were 16 percent less likely to die from premature causes when compared to those with the lowest intake. For every 10-gram increase of fiber intake per day, the risk of premature death decreased 10 percent.
These findings suggest that dietary fiber exerts a robust protective effect against premature death. Public health efforts aimed at increasing dietary fiber intake may be beneficial for reducing all causes of premature death.