phoenix
Expert
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
This is an adition to Hanas carbs 101, from the point of view that fibre and some wholegrains are important to health in general. Having written it I'm not going to debate it as this can lead to ill feeling. it is really to show why it may not be a good idea to exclude some foods from our diets. I have included sources so that people can decide for themselves its validity.
Our understanding of fibre is more complex than the idea of roughage, passing undigested from mouth to anus . Fibre may be protective against many health problems. Cohort studies have associated a lower risk of heart disease with a higher intake of dietary fibre . The World Health organisation report on chronic diseases states that there is probable evidence that a higher intake of dietary fibre is associated with a decreased risk of the development of type 2. In addition,though in recent years there has been mixed evidence of fibre being protective for bowel cancer, the vey large Epic study suggests that higher intakes may indeed reduce that risk, together with risks for stomach and oesophagal cancers
The term ‘fibre’ encompasses complex carbohydrates and natural polymers such as cellulose and woody plant lignin, as well as pectin and various gums. It also includes a type of starch called resistant starch . Fibre is often differentiated by its solubility.(insoluble and soluble).
Resistant starch
In the 1970s and 80s it was questioned whether all starch was completely digested and absorbed.(Van der Westhuizen,1972, Wolf 1977, Anderson 1981). it was demonstrated that a part of the ingested starch in, for example, cereals, bananas and potatoes was not digested in healthy humans .
Resistant starch is defined as the starch that resists digestion to its component sugar, glucose, in the human small intestine and passes unchanged into the large intestine. Some is found in natural foods such as wholegrain cereals, seeds and pulses, some is found in specific types of starch granules (in green bananas and raw potatoes!) some is found after processing, for example when potatoes are cooked and cooled(retrograded). Foods processed in this way have a lower glycaemic index than when processed in other ways .
Resistant starch is now being commercially manufactured .'Low carb' products such as pasta are made using it . At present there is little known about its health value (a lot of research being done: possibly has a role as a prebiotic)
Insoluble Fibre:
This helps bulk stools by absorbing water, and making stools heavier and preventing constipation; the classic 'roughage'. Insoluble fibre is found in wheat bran and whole grains, as well as the skins of many fruits and vegetables, and seeds It is often removed by milling, peeling or boiling .Hence the oft quoted advice to eat more, less refined, whole grains. Insoluble fibre may in particular help protect against bowel disorders such as diverticular disease, one of the most common (and painful) age related disorders . A 2004 meta analysis showed an inverse relationship between the consumption of dietary fibre from cereal and fruit (mainly insoluble) and the risk of coronary heart disease. Some cohort studies have also shown a diet higher in cereal fibre (mostly insoluble) is linked to a lower risk of Type 2.
Soluble Fibre
This includes pectins and gums and betaglucans and is found in oats, legumes, some seeds, brown rice, barley, apples (and some other fruits), some green veg such as broccoli and potatoes. Soluble fibre breaks down in the digestive tract to form a gel which is thought to' trap' some substances related to high cholesterol. It may also help protect against the formation of blood clots. This is why some oat containing products are legally able to proclaim cardiac benefits Note that the more refined, more highly milled varieties may not be as useful.
For diabetics (apart from the cardiac benefits) soluble fibre may delay stomach emptying and hence slow the entry of glucose into the bloodstream, thus lessening postprandial spikes. There is evidence from experimental studies that higher soluble fibre intake may increase insulin sensitivity in both type 1 and type 2.
In addition to the benefits of the fibre itself, most fibre rich foods also contain many vitamins and minerals including the antioxidant nutrients, vitamin E, zinc and selenium and a range of plant compounds called phytochemicals.(there is an article on Wikipedia describing research into possible benefits of some phytochemicals)
sources
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2813
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/booths/eating.html
http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/nutrition/fibre/
http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/dietandhealthyeating/theepicstudy/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber-full-story/index.html
http://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp?siteId=43§ionId=609&parentSection=324&which=1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14980987?dopt=Citation
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_TRS_916.pdf
For a really detailed overview on grains, fibre and diabetes.
Cereal grains, legumes and diabetes
B J Venn1 and J I Mann
In European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004) 58, 1443–1461. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601995 Published online 19 May 2004
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v58/n11/full/1601995a.html
This is an adition to Hanas carbs 101, from the point of view that fibre and some wholegrains are important to health in general. Having written it I'm not going to debate it as this can lead to ill feeling. it is really to show why it may not be a good idea to exclude some foods from our diets. I have included sources so that people can decide for themselves its validity.
Our understanding of fibre is more complex than the idea of roughage, passing undigested from mouth to anus . Fibre may be protective against many health problems. Cohort studies have associated a lower risk of heart disease with a higher intake of dietary fibre . The World Health organisation report on chronic diseases states that there is probable evidence that a higher intake of dietary fibre is associated with a decreased risk of the development of type 2. In addition,though in recent years there has been mixed evidence of fibre being protective for bowel cancer, the vey large Epic study suggests that higher intakes may indeed reduce that risk, together with risks for stomach and oesophagal cancers
The term ‘fibre’ encompasses complex carbohydrates and natural polymers such as cellulose and woody plant lignin, as well as pectin and various gums. It also includes a type of starch called resistant starch . Fibre is often differentiated by its solubility.(insoluble and soluble).
Resistant starch
In the 1970s and 80s it was questioned whether all starch was completely digested and absorbed.(Van der Westhuizen,1972, Wolf 1977, Anderson 1981). it was demonstrated that a part of the ingested starch in, for example, cereals, bananas and potatoes was not digested in healthy humans .
Resistant starch is defined as the starch that resists digestion to its component sugar, glucose, in the human small intestine and passes unchanged into the large intestine. Some is found in natural foods such as wholegrain cereals, seeds and pulses, some is found in specific types of starch granules (in green bananas and raw potatoes!) some is found after processing, for example when potatoes are cooked and cooled(retrograded). Foods processed in this way have a lower glycaemic index than when processed in other ways .
Resistant starch is now being commercially manufactured .'Low carb' products such as pasta are made using it . At present there is little known about its health value (a lot of research being done: possibly has a role as a prebiotic)
Insoluble Fibre:
This helps bulk stools by absorbing water, and making stools heavier and preventing constipation; the classic 'roughage'. Insoluble fibre is found in wheat bran and whole grains, as well as the skins of many fruits and vegetables, and seeds It is often removed by milling, peeling or boiling .Hence the oft quoted advice to eat more, less refined, whole grains. Insoluble fibre may in particular help protect against bowel disorders such as diverticular disease, one of the most common (and painful) age related disorders . A 2004 meta analysis showed an inverse relationship between the consumption of dietary fibre from cereal and fruit (mainly insoluble) and the risk of coronary heart disease. Some cohort studies have also shown a diet higher in cereal fibre (mostly insoluble) is linked to a lower risk of Type 2.
Soluble Fibre
This includes pectins and gums and betaglucans and is found in oats, legumes, some seeds, brown rice, barley, apples (and some other fruits), some green veg such as broccoli and potatoes. Soluble fibre breaks down in the digestive tract to form a gel which is thought to' trap' some substances related to high cholesterol. It may also help protect against the formation of blood clots. This is why some oat containing products are legally able to proclaim cardiac benefits Note that the more refined, more highly milled varieties may not be as useful.
For diabetics (apart from the cardiac benefits) soluble fibre may delay stomach emptying and hence slow the entry of glucose into the bloodstream, thus lessening postprandial spikes. There is evidence from experimental studies that higher soluble fibre intake may increase insulin sensitivity in both type 1 and type 2.
In addition to the benefits of the fibre itself, most fibre rich foods also contain many vitamins and minerals including the antioxidant nutrients, vitamin E, zinc and selenium and a range of plant compounds called phytochemicals.(there is an article on Wikipedia describing research into possible benefits of some phytochemicals)
sources
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2813
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/booths/eating.html
http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/nutrition/fibre/
http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/dietandhealthyeating/theepicstudy/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber-full-story/index.html
http://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp?siteId=43§ionId=609&parentSection=324&which=1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14980987?dopt=Citation
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_TRS_916.pdf
For a really detailed overview on grains, fibre and diabetes.
Cereal grains, legumes and diabetes
B J Venn1 and J I Mann
In European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004) 58, 1443–1461. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601995 Published online 19 May 2004
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v58/n11/full/1601995a.html