Fibres - Fibers - Dr Matthias Rath Health Foundation

20 Pages·2021·9.328 MB·English

by  Dr Matthias Rath

Dr. Rath Health Foundation
FIBRES
Fibres
First Edition
© 2016 Dr. Rath Health Foundation
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Contents
Introduction 5
What are fibres? 6
Physiological Effects of Fibres 8
Therapeutic Use of Fibres 13
Conclusion 16
Literature Search 17
Dr. Rath Health Foundation 3.
4.
Introduction
For a long time, dietary fibres were con- the rate of lifestyle diseases, it seems rea-
sidered to be useless components of our sonable to assume a connection between
food with no particular function for the these trends.
human body. Their significance for human
health has only become clear in the last For more than two decades Cellular
two decades. Medicine has been engaged in exploring
the causes and consequences of poor
In industrialized countries, the number of nutrition. Thanks to modern naturopathic
lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, lipo- research, numerous issues concerning the
metabolic disorders, diabetes, cardiovas- rise of today‘s lifestyle diseases have been
cular diseases and cancer, is abnormally addressed, along with presenting solu-
high and steadily increasing. At the same tions for their reversal.
time, the level of dietary fibre consump-
tion has been steadily declining in Western We see it as our responsibility to inform
countries. The latter can be linked to the and educate people about these connec-
increase in the technical processing of tions. Moreover, we want to show ways of
foods and to the increasing consumption preventing disease and devoting the neces-
of animal food products. sary attention to a health-promoting diet.
Since the shift in the nutrient composition
of our diet runs parallel to the increase in
Dr. Rath Health Foundation 5.
What are fibres?
In a broader sense, the term “dietary fibres“ Cellulose: a type of fibre that is found in
covers all indigestible food components. nearly every plant, particularly in the cell
Fibres primarily occur in whole grain cere- walls of fruit and vegetables. It is mainly
als, legumes, fruit, vegetables, nuts and a water-insoluble fibre and has a high
seeds. water-binding capacity.
Fibres that are consumed naturally from Hemicelluloses: multiple sugars
food pass undigested from the small (polysaccharides) that are often present in
intestine to the colon. Here they are either plant cell walls along with cellulose; they
broken down by the bacteria of the intes- can be found primarily in wheat and rye.
tinal microbiota1 and used as an energy
and/or building material source, or they Pectins: soluble dietary fibres that mainly
are excreted in unaltered form. occur in fruit and vegetables, primarily
found in the cell walls of seeds and shells.
Various simple sugars (monosaccharides)
are the major components of most fibres. Natural gums: complex, water-soluble
They are linked by special bonds. Since polysaccharides that are found inside
our bodies have no enzymes that can split the plant cell. Natural gums have a high
these bonds, dietary fibres are indigestible water-binding capacity.
to humans.
Mucus: dietary fibres that are mainly
Dietary fibres comprise a large number found in the endosperm of seeds (nutritive
of different complex structures, which are tissue in the cell interior). The best known
not yet entirely covered. The quantitatively substance among this type of fibre is guar
most important ones include: gum from the seeds of the guar bean.
6.
Storage carbohydrates: dietary fibres Psyllium: a type of fibre that is primarily
that mainly occur in the endosperm of obtained from the seeds and seed coats
seeds. of Plantago ovata (family Plantaginaceae),
commonly known as desert Indianwheat,
Resistant starch: a type of dietary fibre a plant species native to India.
that is located in the cell interior of seeds.
It is found in most cereals, but also in In addition to the above-mentioned forms
beans, peas and boiled potatoes. of dietary fibres, there are numerous other
substances, particularly in the plant cell
Lignin: water-insoluble component of wall, that are indigestible by the human
plant cell walls that occurs in wheat bran, body and are therefore classified as
amongst others. Lignin is not a carbohy- dietary fibres.
drate and therefore forms an exception to
the group of dietary fibres.
Two other types of dietary fibres that are
often mentioned in the context of human
health are β-glucan and psyllium.
β-glucan: a natural polysaccharide with a
similar structure to cellulose, it is counted
among the group of soluble fibres and
is found mainly in the marginal layers of
grain kernels. It is found in large quantities 1also known as gut microbiota, it is the
in oats and barley. total of all microorganisms in the gut
Dr. Rath Health Foundation 7.
Physiological Effects of Fibres
Depending on the plant of origin, the • Significantly increases stool volume and
composition of the dietary fibres may modifies stool consistency ➛ the higher
vary considerably. This results in different the volume and the softer the stool, the
effects on the metabolism and digestive lower the pressure in the large intestine
organs, based on the following physical • Stimulates intestinal movement ➛ pro-
properties: motion of blood circulation of the intes-
tinal wall and function of the intestinal
Water-binding capacity mucosa, activation of self-cleaning
Due to their structure, all fibres – with the • Shortens passage time in lower small
exception of lignin – are capable of bind- intestine and large intestine
ing water. They swell up the chyme, thus
supporting the digestion process.
Fibre-rich food is chewed longer. In addi-
tion, the gastric emptying is delayed due
to the increased volume and viscosity of
the chyme. As a result, the satiation starts
earlier and lasts longer.
Further advantages of water-binding:
• Creates favorable growth conditions for
health-promoting intestinal
bacteria ➛ increase in bacterial
count and development of suitable
microbiota
8.
Fermentation availability • Methane
The bacteria in the intestinal microbiota • Short-chain fatty acids (acetic acid,
contain enzymes that can break down propionic acid, butyric acid)
fibres arriving in the intestine. The avail-
ability for the degradation of intestinal By creating an acidic intestinal environ-
bacteria, referred to as fermentation, can ment, short-chain fatty acids contribute to
vary greatly depending on the type and an optimum composition and metabolic
form of the dietary fibre. The availability of activity of intestinal bacteria. Moreover,
pectins, gums, or the so-called mucus, is the reduction of the pH value is accompa-
particularly high, for example. nied by an increase in the intestinal move-
ment and acceleration of the intestinal
The following metabolic products are passage.
mainly produced during fermentation:
• Ethanol
• Hydrogen
• Carbon dioxide
Dr. Rath Health Foundation 9.
Furthermore, the short-chain fatty acid The bacterial degradation of water-insolu-
butyric acid is particularly involved in the ble fibres in the large intestine is relatively
development of the intestinal mucosa and low. Most of this type of dietary fibre is
thereby of the intestinal barrier2. It also therefore excreted with the stool. Along
contributes to an easier uptake of sodium with its high water-binding capacity, this
and water in the large intestine, thus contributes to a considerable increase in
protecting against diarrhea. the weight of the stool.
Water solubility Unspecific binding capacity
The solubility of fibres in water is deter- Dietary fibres have a high unspecific bind-
mined by their chemical structure: the ing capacity. This means that many differ-
higher the content of side chains the ent substances can bind to fibre, including:
higher the water solubility.
• Minerals and trace elements
Water-soluble structures are rapidly and • Digestive enzymes and bile acids
almost completely degraded by intestinal • Fats, fatty acids, cholesterol and other
bacteria, thus serving as their nutrition. fat-soluble substances
This type of dietary fibre includes: • Harmful substances from food
• Pectins The binding of the above-named substanc-
• Certain hemicelluloses es affects the extent and speed of their
• Natural gums digestion as well as their absorption into
the blood circulation. Food components
Water-insoluble constituents are mainly that are bound to fibre escape absorption
represented by the following cell wall into the small intestine and enter lower
components: sections of the intestine.
• Cellulose
• Hemicellulose
• Lignin
2 Functional unit consisting of the intestinal immune system, the intestinal epithelium, enteric
nervous system, secretion products and intestinal mucosa. Function: barrier between bowel
interior and body interior, transport of nutrients and water, prevents the penetration of patho-
genic bacteria into the organism
10.