Dietary
fiber may be far more important than
previously imagined. According to a report1 funded by the Council for
Responsible Nutrition Foundation (CRNF), were American adults over the age of
55 with heart disease to take psyllium dietary fiber every day, it could save
the healthcare system nearly $4.4 billion a year.
The effect may be even greater than
that though, as new research reveals lack of fiber in the diet may impact not
just your health, but that of your children and even great-grandchildren too.
How's that, you might ask? By changing the diversity of bacteria in your, and your
offspring's, gut.
Low-Fiber Diet Promotes Extinction
of Gut Bacteria
The study in question found
that low-fiber diets cause "waves of extinction" in the gut of mice,
and that this altered gut flora gets passed on to offspring. As much as 60
percent of the microbe species suffered severe decline in the low-fiber group.
In some cases their numbers remained
low even after the mice were again given high-fiber meals, suggesting it can be
quite difficult to repopulate certain gut bacteria once they've been severely
diminished.
Each successive generation of
offspring in the low-fiber group also ended up with less diversity than their
parents, suggesting the problem compounds over generations. According to the
authors:
"[O]ver several
generations, a low-MAC diet [microbiota-accessible carbohydrate diet] results
in a progressive loss of diversity, which is not recoverable after the
reintroduction of dietary MACs. To restore the microbiota to its original state
requires the administration of missing taxa [editor's note: i.e. fecal transplant] in combination with dietary MAC consumption."
Previous studies5 have already confirmed that the
human microbiome has undergone significant changes over the course of history,
along with changes in diet. Distinct differences in the gut microbiome have
also been found between Western city-dwellers and rural villagers and
indigenous hunter-gatherers, and, according to the authors: "The data we
present also hint that further deterioration of the Western microbiota is
possible."
As a general rule, people who eat a
more plant-based diet tend to have a more diverse gut microbiome than those who
skimp on fresh veggies and fruits and eat more processed foods.
Smaller
Stools Mean Bigger Hospitals
As noted by The Atlantic, the late Dr. Denis Burkitt — an Irish
missionary surgeon — was ahead of his time. After World War II, Burkitt moved
to Uganda, where people ate a very fiber-rich diet, and didn't suffer the high
rates of chronic disease, including heart disease and colon cancer as their
Western peers.
Burkitt is quoted7 as saying:
"America is a constipated nation. If you pass small stools, you have big
hospitals."According to Stanford University microbiologist Justin
Sonnenburg, Burkitt "nailed it" when it comes to the health benefits
of a fiber-rich diet and the dangers of a fiber-deficient one.
The reason for fiber's potent
impact is not just related to its ability to improve the passing of stool. It
has to do with the fact that it feeds beneficial gut microbes, which in turn
play many important roles in your health.
For starters, fiber fuels
beneficial bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids that help regulate your
immune function. These fats and ketones help increase T regulatory cells,
specialized immune cells that help prevent autoimmune responses and more.
Via a process called
hematopoiesis, they're also involved in the formation of other types of blood
cells in your body. Few Americans get the recommended 30 to 32 grams of fiber
per day, and when fiber is lacking, it starves these beneficial bacteria,
thereby setting your health into a downward spiral.
Not only does it have an adverse effect on your immune system,
allowing autoimmune diseases to set in, lack of fiber in your diet can also
lead to the breakdown of your gut barrier, resulting in leaky gut and
related health problems.
Beware:
Heartburn Pills Also Harm Your Gut Bacteria
A British study on
twins suggests that heartburn pills known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may
also increase your risk of bacterial infections — again by altering your
gut flora. As reported by Reuters:
"Looking for clues to how PPIs might lead to infections, researchers
compared stool samples from more than 1,800 British twins. When only one twin
used PPIs, their fecal analysis turned up much more Streptococcaceae, a family
of bacteria that includes Streptococcus and Lactococcus strains, and that
typically inhabits the mouth and skin. Their increased numbers potentially make
certain infections more likely, the researchers conclude ..."
Read more to learn why fiber is so beneficial.
In Health,
Dr. Brad Niewierowski
No comments:
Post a Comment