Scientists Discover a New Reason to Add More Fiber to Your Diet

December 17, 2023

by Cathe Friedrich

Health professionals have long recommended fiber for promoting bowel regularity and overall well-being. Recent research from the University of Minnesota provides new insights into why fiber is so vital for our health. The findings explore the diverse benefits of fiber beyond just digestive health. This groundbreaking study reveals deeper connections between fiber intake and overall well-being and why it should be a priority in our diets.

Bioactive Bounty: The Diverse Compounds in Fiber-Rich Foods

This study, published in Nutrients, shows that different plant-based fiber sources contain unique suites of bioactive compounds, including substances like quercetin, resveratrol, and lycopene that may reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more.

This means the perks of fiber extend beyond keeping us regular, says Joanne Slavin, professor at the University of Minnesota and co-author of the paper. She stresses that in addition to digestive health, we need fiber for the protective antioxidants, phytochemicals, and other beneficial bioactive compounds bundled within.

So, fiber is not only a marker of good health – but also delivers its own fleet of disease-fighting, longevity-boosting compounds. When striving for a wholesome diet, fiber should be part of it.

Gold Mines on Your Plate: Exploring Fruits, Veggies, Nuts, Seeds, and Whole Grains

When the researchers pored through studies on the health perks of compounds in fiber-rich plant foods, they uncovered an A-list of nutritional all-stars. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains emerged as gold mines packed with unique disease-thwarting bioactives along with hearty fiber. Each whole food group contributes to the health equation. And together, they form a powerhouse lineup of insoluble fiber partnered with phytochemicals, antioxidants, and more.

The research also points to an exciting strategy for nutrifying processed foods while keeping flavors and textures people love. By adding back in byproducts high in fiber and bioactives – like fruit peels, pods, and seeds – we could stealthily boost nutrition in packaged foods too.

Jan-Willem Van Klinken, who co-authored the study, points out that we need to make fiber more accessible. By thoughtfully fiber-loading processed foods, we could pump up their nutritional value without dialing back their deliciousness.

You Can Get Fiber Naturally Too

While this research clues us in about the health perks of bioactives, we need more research to pinpoint processing methods that preserve and optimize these compounds. But you can always get fiber in its natural state from whole food sources and that’s the best way to do it. With this approach, you avoid the sugar, salt, and additives in processed foods. But as this study points out, fiber-rich foods are more than just roughage, they contain bioactive wonders that could profoundly better human health.

How Can You Enjoy the Benefits of Fiber in Your Own Diet?

Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains in your daily meals to ensure a diverse intake of bioactives and soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Each of these wholesome plant-based food groups offers unique combinations of beneficial compounds paired with gut-healthy insoluble fiber:

Fruits like berries, citrus, apples, and grapes have bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, carotenoids, and vitamin C.
Vegetables of all colors – leafy greens, red peppers, orange carrots, etc. provide a rainbow of phytochemicals with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. They also contain insoluble fiber from cell walls and membranes.
Beans and lentils brim with bioactives like saponins, protease inhibitors, and phenolic acids that exhibit anti-inflammatory powers and insoluble fiber for good digestion.
Nuts and seeds pack in insoluble fiber, vitamin E, plant sterols, polyphenols, and an array of minerals. Their skins up the antioxidant quotient.
Whole grains like oats, barley, and bran provide B vitamins, phytic acid, lignans, beta-glucan soluble fiber, and insoluble fiber in the bran.

Mixing up plant foods across these groups ensures a diverse intake of insoluble fiber interwoven with a mosaic of unique bioactives that work synergistically to promote human health.

Fueling the Microbial Symphony: Fermentable Fiber and a Happy Gut

And don’t forget about the importance of fiber for a healthy gut microbiome. To nurture your gut bugs, you need fermentable fiber. This type of fiber consists of dietary carbohydrates that the human gastrointestinal system is unable to break down and absorb on its own. However, certain beneficial bacteria in our intestines harbor enzymes capable of digesting and fermenting these fibrous compounds.

Foods like onions, bananas, apples, garlic, and root veggies offer fermentable fiber that serves as a feast for our gut bugs. And they happily dine on wheat bran, psyllium husk, inulin, and oligosaccharides too. When microbes munch on these fibers, they churn out short-chain fatty acids – valuable nutrients like butyrate, propionate, and acetate.

These fermentation byproducts help nourish and protect intestinal cells, dial down inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and deliver other vital health benefits.

Conclusion

When we feed our tiny intestinal allies the fibers they love, they return the favor by cooking up compounds our bodies benefit from. It’s a cycle that keeps our gut microbiome and human cells healthy. That’s why getting fermentable fiber from whole foods and supplements helps keep digestion running smoothly all the way through.

When we nourish our microbial allies with the fermentable fiber they thrive on, they return the favor by churning out nutrients and metabolites our human cells urgently need. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Consuming prebiotic fibers fuels our gut buddies so they can fuel us! Keep them well fed.

References:

Madeline Timm, Lisa C. Offringa, B. Jan-Willem Van Klinken, Joanne Slavin. Beyond Insoluble Dietary Fiber: Bioactive Compounds in Plant Foods. Nutrients, 2023; 15 (19): 4138 DOI: 10.3390/nu15194138
University of Minnesota. “Study suggests even more reasons to eat your fiber.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 October 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231024234015.htm>.
Zachary C. Holmes, Max M. Villa, Heather K. Durand, Sharon Jiang, Eric P. Dallow, Brianna L. Petrone, Justin D. Silverman, Pao-Hwa Lin, Lawrence A. David. Microbiota responses to different prebiotics are conserved within individuals and associated with habitual fiber intake. Microbiome, 2022; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01307-x