The human gut evolved to thrive on fermentable fibers, not bacon cheeseburgers:
That huge array of dietary fiber supplements in the drugstore or grocery aisle can be overwhelming to a consumer. They make all sorts of health claims too, not being subject to FDA review and approval. So how do you know which supplement works and would be best for you?
A rigorous examination of the gut microbes of study participants who were fed three different kinds of supplements in different sequences concludes that people who had been eating the least amount of fiber before the study showed the greatest benefit from supplements, regardless of which ones they consumed.
[...] The benefit of dietary fiber isn't just the easier pooping that advertisers tout. Fermentable fiber -- dietary carbohydrates that the human gut cannot process on its own but some bacteria can digest -- is also an essential source of nutrients that your gut microbes need to stay healthy.
[...] When your gut bugs are happily munching on a high-fiber diet, they produce more of the short-chain fatty acids that protect you from diseases of the gut, colorectal cancers and even obesity. And in particular, they produce more of a fatty acid called butyrate, which is fuel for your intestinal cells themselves. Butyrate has been shown to improve the gut's resistance to pathogens, lower inflammation and create happier, healthier cells lining the host's intestines.
[...] "We didn't see a lot of difference between the fiber supplements we tested. Rather, they looked interchangeable," David said during a tour of his sparkling new lab in the MSRB III building, which includes a special "science toilet" for collecting samples and an array of eight "artificial gut" fermenters for growing happy gut microbes outside a body.
[...] "It doesn't need to be a supplement either," Holmes added. "It can just be a fiber-rich food. Folks who were already eating a lot of fiber, which comes from plants like beans, leafy greens, and citrus, already had very healthy microbiomes."
Journal Reference:
Zachary Holmes, Max Villa, Heather Durand, et al., Microbiota Responses to Different Prebiotics Are Conserved Within Individuals and Associated with Habitual Fiber Intake, Microbiome, 2022. DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01307-x
(Score: 5, Funny) by Opportunist on Wednesday August 03 2022, @08:46AM (4 children)
Reengineer the gut to deal with the changes in food intake.
Evolution has to become survival of the fattest!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Username on Wednesday August 03 2022, @09:19AM (1 child)
I'm all for gmo humans. Figure out how to isolate that Scandinavian skinny gene and into a therapy. That's one vaccine I'd take.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday August 03 2022, @12:28PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2022, @10:57AM
But..., but... hasn't this principle been realized in the US already?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday August 03 2022, @02:13PM
While we're talking about GMO humans, lettuce not forget survival of the dumbest. They need to breed like rabbits because they learn 'abstinence' in high school. The smarter people will not breed as much. Thus selection pressure.
Speaking of lettuce, one weigh of losing wait is to eat healthier foods instead of supplements. Imagine that! My wife and I discovered this since covid-19 started. We got groceries delivered to our door and began eating healthier. Without realizing it at first we began losing weight.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Wednesday August 03 2022, @09:11AM (1 child)
In another paradigm, there is an approach completely contradictory to this fiber food science:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigu_(grain_avoidance) [wikipedia.org]
Situational logic in Daoism is obvious: at some stage of self-cultivation, merely having those guts bacteria is an obstacle to higher levels attainment.
The same goes with advanced yogic practice in India, whole complex of kriya excercises is dedicated to clean up the shit before meditation stages.
Even for people at low unenlightened levels, a necessity to have good guts bacteria to ferment some undigestible food is a huge biological drag.
It's an unnecessary load on human body, even just carrying all that shit around is a heavy burden.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2022, @09:18AM
If the shit makes you shit, who can complain?
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2022, @12:49PM (1 child)
After years of waiting, we were finally able to start paying a monthly fee to get fiber to the home. I highly recommend FTTH, and doubt I will ever go back.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Wednesday August 03 2022, @02:18PM
Does your fiber provider charge extra fees for fiber supplements?
* fee for blocking cable channels
* fee for blocking local broadcasters
* fee for blocking live sports
That way you end up paying for the things you wanted to get rid of to save money.
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(Score: 4, Informative) by richtopia on Wednesday August 03 2022, @05:18PM (1 child)
I have a high fiber shake every day for breakfast. I'm in my 30s so I didn't notice a major shift in my health or gut, but I really like the fast breakfast.
Psyllium is a popular fiber supplement, commercially sold as Metamucil. It also is a thickener; if you see stories of ice cream not melting that can indicate high levels of psyllium. This allows me to have a breakfast shake similar to a milk shake but stored at refrigerated temperatures.
Here is approximately the recipe; the details vary depending on what vendor used. Metamucil for example has added sugar. I've moved to the Whole Foods psyllium husk powder which isn't cut so I've reduced the volume used in the shake. https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes/breakfast-shake-4 [completefoods.co]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2022, @11:08PM
Do teeth (and jaw muscles) atrophy with lack of use?
Or do you somehow chew your shake??
Just askin'...
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday August 04 2022, @01:47AM
Challenge accepted.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 04 2022, @02:28PM
The particular supplement may not matter terribly much, though I must say it seems that getting fiber in dietary sources is almost certainly preferable. I'm a big fan of a combination of All Bran cereal (17g/serving) and oat based granola to mix up the soluble vs. insoluble ratio. One keeps things flowing, while the other makes things softer and easier to pass. Going too far in one direction is a great way to get yourself ...dehydrated.
But yes, if you're not getting enough overall, just get it by whatever means necessary. And as the article states, it's not just about your ability to pass stool...or even frankly to maintain your gut flora. If you still need motivation, fiber helps the circulatory system -- read "your ability to get and maintain an erection".