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Fiber Fraud


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#1 jackdaniels

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Posted 19 February 2010 - 08:35 PM


http://www.immortalh...361-fiber-fraud
Fiber Fraud
Posted at 11:52 AM on February 10, 2010


Fiber is not necessary for human health. Fiber from fruit and vegetables is just fine, however what isn't necessary and even detrimental are fiber cereals, grains and psyllium.



So if what I say is true, then why do most doctors recommend to eat more fiber?


The recommendation to use fiber for constipation originally began as a way to cover up the side-effects of antibiotics, dental amalgams, and most other prescription drugs. Physicians themselves believe this lie, so it isn't any fault of their own.


Pharmaceutical companies in the United States control almost all aspects of medical education, either directly, by publishing references, textbooks, and curriculums for continuous education courses as well as designing and administering licensing exams.


The belief of fiber has been so well ingrained that it has become somewhat of a religion. Moreover, enormous amounts of advertising have promoted this view in every possible medium.


It's only natural that doctors will recommend fiber for constipation because that is what is written up in all medical references and textbooks, even though every single piece of independent research states emphatically that fiber causes constipation and related colorectal disorders, it doesn’t relieve constipation or improve motility.


While medical schools teach that bowels contain innate bacteria critical to health, the antibiotics frequently prescribed today, routinely kill this bacteria along with their intended target, wreacking all kinds of havoc.


Most everyone has little idea that almost all of the stool is dead bacteria, it is not undigested food. If undigested food is found in abundance, that is indicative of an inflammatory bowel disease or malabsorption problem.


Most physicians are not familiar with disbacteriosis, which is an imbalance between different types of the intestinal microorganisms, leading to inflammatory disease. This is ignored because it is so pervasive in the westernized diet, and it is becoming more difficult to find an American child or adult who hasn’t taken antibiotics at least once or twice, much less been exposed to traces of antibiotics in meat, dairy, poultry, and farmed fish.


That said, most are vulnerable to disbacteriosis. To complicate matters, those who are exposed to mercury in dental amalgam are also subject to the destruction of gut microflora.


Beneficial bacteria protect the bowel mucosa from inflammation, polyps, and cancers, as they synthesize essential vitamins K and biotin, and regulate the process of phagocytosis, where pathogens are engulfed.


In addition, beneficial microflora allow stools to remain soft, while still retaining a solid shape and moisture.


In the medical literature, the intestines contain over 450 strains of bacteria, which comprise somewhere between 50 to 75% of dry stools by weight. In contrast, in the absense of beneficial flora, stools become small, dry, and hard.


Physicians believe a constipated patient needs more insoluble fiber, commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and grains, because fiber enlarges stools by retaining water in them. However, the larger stools caused by added fiber only serve to narrow an already narrow canal even more.


As constipation resumes after a while, patients are told to add soluble fiber, acting as laxative and blocking the absorption of fluids inside the bowel.


Psyllium is a very "popular" form of soluble and insoluble fiber, and it is definitely something to avoid, because eventually it can diminish the bowel’s peristalsis (involunary muscle movement in the colon), causing the suppression of the "need to go" urge.


All this fiber is really "doing" is substituting bulk for beneficial bacteria, creating an unhealthy stool.


Before the cereal "killers" came along (the industrial cereal food giants), fiber wasn't even on the nutritional "radar." Fiber gradually leads to dependence and addiction by stretching and expanding the colon, narrowing down the anal canal, creating nerve damage. Ever wonder how hemorrhoids develop? It's the nerve damage from this pressure of large stools.


Eating fiber will not damage you right away, yet in decades to come it will, as irreversible changes complicate constipation matters, creating colorectal damage, such as diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, polyps, and cancers.



The Harvard School of Public Health has stated and I quote, "Fiber intake has also been linked with the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors that increases the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes. These factors include high blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess weight (especially around the abdomen), high levels of triglycerides, the body's main fat-carrying particle, and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Several studies suggest that higher intake of fiber may somehow ward off this increasingly common syndrome."


The references given for such statements included, below.


Diabetes Care 2004; 27:538-46.

Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:390-8.


I must confess that I have felt some reluctance to write this topic due to its unpopular message, however after years of research, I had come to the absolute conclusion that fiber isn't needed in the diet. Moreover, the existence of grains is relatively recent considering the history of human beings.


Finally, I should state that up until recently, scientists have grossly underestimated the critical importance of our intestinal microflora, which constitute ten times the number of cells of the human body.


In contrast to my earlier statements, there are actually some forms of fiber that appear to be quite beneficial, and one of these is called Acacia gum (Acacia Senegal). Acacia gum is a soluble food source type of fiber, and in fact, is considered to be medical food for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).


Acacia gum has a clinically proven prebiotic effect, which improves bowel motility and stimulates the growth of healthy gut flora, which in turn reduces bloating, gas, and bowel irregularities.


So if you're currently taking a fiber, please consider switching to Acacia gum instead.


A recent study released in February this year, revealed a novel effect of Acacia gum on the ability to decrease glucose transport in mice. In other words, it reduced the negative impact of glucose!


Treatment with Acacia gum at 100 grams per liter of drinking water for four weeks significantly blunted the increase in body weight, fasting plasma glucose and fasting insulin concentrations. Essentially, Acacia gum counteracted glucose-induced obesity. If this translates to humans, we could have a real useful fiber to use during parties and the holidays when eating sugar is too hard to resist.


Back to the "bad" fibers, along the way of my research, I had stumbed on to a few anti-fiber advocates in recent years, only adding weight to my own conclusions. Take a look at this entertaining and informative video, courtesy of an anti-fiber avocate, Konstantin Monastyrsky.



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#2 kismet

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Posted 19 February 2010 - 09:30 PM

It is interesting to note that the only references provided besides ad hominems are in favour of fibre/cereals. That is not the right way to make a point. If you say A you should try support A, not the negation of A, with the data you provide...

Diabetes Care 2004; 27:538-46.

Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:390-8.


Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Aug;76(2):390-8.
"After adjustment for potential confounding factors, whole-grain intake was inversely associated with body mass index (: 26.9 in the lowest and 26.4 in the highest quintile of intake; P for trend = 0.06), waist-to-hip ratio (0.92 and 0.91, respectively; P for trend = 0.005), total cholesterol (5.20 and 5.09 mmol/L, respectively; P for trend = 0.06), LDL cholesterol (3.16 and 3.04 mmol/L, respectively; P for trend = 0.02), and fasting insulin (205 and 199 pmol/L, respectively; P for trend = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Increased intakes of whole grains may reduce disease risk by means of favorable effects on metabolic risk factors."

Diabetes Care 2004; 27:538-46.
"The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was significantly lower among those in the highest quintile of cereal fiber (odds ratio [OR] 0.62; 95% CI 0.45-0.86) and whole-grain (0.67; 0.48-0.91) intakes relative to those in the lowest quintile category after adjustment for confounding lifestyle and dietary factors. Conversely, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was significantly higher among individuals in the highest relative to the lowest quintile category of glycemic index (1.41; 1.04-1.91). Total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, fruit fiber, vegetable fiber, legume fiber, glycemic load, and refined grain intakes were not associated with prevalence of the metabolic syndrome."

Of note: obviously fibre isn't needed nor essential both for mere existance and for health. After all, you can smoke and live to be 122 if you are that lucky.

(perhaps I am just missing the irony here!)

EDIT: Also of note, it is bad style to copy badly formatted text verbatim.

Edited by kismet, 19 February 2010 - 09:34 PM.


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#3 frederickson

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Posted 20 February 2010 - 05:10 AM

this is an interesting premise.

certain types of fiber can cause conisderable gi distress, and dietary fiber is generally contraindicated among those with irritable syndrome.

thanks for the link, i intend to watch the video to at least explore this hypothesis.

#4 ajnast4r

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Posted 20 February 2010 - 10:48 PM

hello? did you even READ the study you posted?

#5 Guest_Funiture2_*

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Posted 28 June 2020 - 07:13 PM

I know that this thread was posted 10 years ago but I'd like to shed some insight onto this topic that I think will explain the doubts the original poster has about dietary fiber.

 

This is taken directly from Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute website here (https://lpi.oregonst...nutrients/fiber)

 

 

Fibers can be classified into four clinically meaningful categories according to their physiochemical properties, i.e., their solubility, viscosity, and fermentability (reviewed in 11):

 

Soluble, viscous/gel forming, readily fermented fibers

E.g., β-glucans from oats and barley, raw guar gum

Soluble fibers dissolve in water, while insoluble fibers do not. Viscous fibers thicken in the presence of water, forming very viscous solutions or even visco-elastic gels. Fermentable fibers are readily metabolized by the gut microbiota (i.e., bacteria that normally colonize the large intestine). Fermentation of fiber results in the formation of short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) and gases (1). Short-chain fatty acids can be absorbed and metabolized to produce energy. Interestingly, the preferred energy source for colonocytes (epithelial cells that line the colon) is butyrate. Fermentation of fiber is estimated to contribute up to 10% of daily energy intake (12). Fibers that are fermentable and can stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial gut bacteria are called prebiotic fibers (13). Fibers that are soluble, viscous, and fermentable have been shown to improve glycemic control and to lower blood cholesterol concentration. However, their water-holding capacity is lost when they are fermented in the colon such that they have no laxative effect (see Biological Activities).

 

Soluble, viscous/gel forming, nonfermented fibers

E.g., psyllium

These fibers can dissolve in water and form viscous gels. They can improve glycemic control and lower blood cholesterol concentration. In addition, they retain their water-holding/gel-forming capacity in the large intestine since they are resistant to fermentation. As a consequence, they can exert a stool-normalizing effect, preventing constipation or softening hard stool as well as firming loose/liquid stool in diarrhea and fecal incontinence (see Biological Activities).

 

Soluble, nonviscous, readily fermented fibers

E.g., inulin, wheat dextrin, oligosaccharides, resistant starches

Although these fibers can dissolve in water, they cannot provide any health benefits associated with fiber viscosity. They are fully fermented and thus do not exert a laxative effect. They can nonetheless exert a prebiotic effect by influencing the composition of the gut microbiota. In vitro studies have shown inulin to selectively stimulate the proliferation of beneficial bacteria and limit the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria ) (see Isolated fibers and supplements) (reviewed in 14). However, no health benefit is currently associated with this fiber-driven prebiotic effect.

 

Insoluble, poorly fermented fibers

E.g., wheat bran, cellulose, lignin

These fibers do not dissolve in water, do not trap water, and are poorly fermented. Large/coarse fiber particles can have a laxative effect. They can irritate the large intestine mucosa and trigger the secretion of mucus and water, which increases the water content of stools. Small, insoluble fiber particles (e.g., finely ground wheat bran) have no laxative effect and can actually have a constipating effect by adding only to the dry stool mass (see Improving regularity in stool elimination).

 

 

 

All of the arguments that "jackdaniels" and Konstantin Monastyrsky are making against dietary fiber are characteristic of insoluble, non-fermentable fibers. This is just one group of the many types of dietary fiber. As you can see in the 4th category, insoluble, non-fermenting fibers can cause constipation and can irritate your digestive system. So, I think that, while concerns over dietary fiber are legitimate (some people with IBS or chron's disease are very sensitive to certain fibers), we cannot generalize this to all types of fibers. Fiber is an umbrella term for many different plant compounds with varying properties and health effects but that all have one thing in common: They are all indigestible by human enzymes. So let's not make blanket statements about all fibers.


Edited by Furniture, 28 June 2020 - 07:20 PM.





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