The Absolute Importance of Dietary Fiber
- By Stephen Holt, M.D.

For the past 50 years, medical science has continued to unravel the amazing and versatile health benefits of a dietary fiber. Many consumers have been confused by the different types of dietary fiber that exist on the market, in both foods and in dietary supplements. It's puzzling why something so apparently simple and inert as dietary fiber can exert so many different health benefits. The evidence for multiple health benefits of dietary fiber is so strong that government agencies have permitted beneficial health claims to be made about increasing dietary fiber intake in the diet. What is dietary fiber? Dietary fiber is best understood as plant material that is responsible for the structural integrity of most plants and their constituent parts. In essence, dietary fiber is made from many different carbohydrate, units and the key issue about fiber is that it resists digestionby the human gastrointestinal tract. In other words, fiber in the diet is not digested, even though it has carbohydrate content and much of the, dietary fiber passes into the lower bowel where it exerts many different beneficial actions in the colon.

The chemistry of dietary fiber is extremely complicated. but there are two principal types of dietary fiber that arc termed "soluble" and "insoluble." To simplify matters, it is generally regarded that soluble types of dietary fiber have most beneficial effects in altering body metabolism and, in particular, lowering bad types of blood cholesterol. On the other hand, insoluble fiber is often regarded as a stool bulking agent; and it can be used for a laxative effect by holding water in the lower bowel, making stool bulkier and easier to pass. In contrast, soluble fiber plays more of a "balancing act" in the digestive tract where certain types of soluble fiber such as pectin may even be valuable in circumstances of diarrhea. Fiber is converted in the lower bowel by the action of friendly bacteria into health giving substances that can lower blood cholesterol and even potentially suppress appetite. This fiber helps with weight control.

There are obvious advantages of dietary fiber intake in terms of smoothing out gastrointestinalfunction. Fiber is not completely soluble in water. It disperses in water and holds water often, forming a sticky gel. The physical form of fiber can result in bulking of stools or relaxation of the bowel in the case of bowel spasms, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Modern science has shown that fiber has a number of secondary effects on body metabolism that seem to be quite important. In fact, some of these effects occur by quite complicated mechanisms.

All types of fiber can reside in the colon and promote the growth of healthy bacteria. Bacteria in the colon use dietary fiber as a source of food and energy which permits them to grow and multiply. Healthy bacteria have been termed probiotics and dietary fiber is one of several examples of food for probiotic organisms. This is why fiber is called prebiotic material.

The consequences of the promotion of the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon are many, and healthy bacteria can have far-reaching health benefits such as the manufacture of vitamins for use by the body and the dilution of toxins in the diet.

Oat bran is found to have certain active constituents. This type of fiber is very healthy. One special constituent is a fraction called a beta-glucan or oat bran hydrocolloid. Not only can this fraction of oat bran fiber promote a healthy blood glucose level, it can lower blood cholesterol to a significant degree.

Oat beta-glucan is produced by a patented process and certain fractions of oat fiber are only available to Wellness Publishing Inc. They are often not present in other fiber products and they have had beneficial effects on stimulating immunofunction. (See Syndrome X Nutritonal Factors™.)

Dietary fiber in general, has found a special adjunctive role in the management of weight control and it is particularly valuable in the nutritional management of Syndrome X. There is no doubt that soluble fiber has a special role in management of diabetes mellitus, of both the type I and type II varieties.

In my books entitled "The Natural Way to a Healthy Heart" and "Natural Ways to Digestive Health" (M Evans Publishers Inc., NY, 1999 and 2000 respectively), I explain the many benefits of soluble and insoluble fiber.

As a consequence of the use of proprietary technology, Wellness Publishing Inc. has been able to acquire a special type of oat bran fiber that is not only rich in the health giving soluble fiber (beta-glucan component), but it also contains the added benefit of insoluble oat fiber. This type of fiber is unique to the product called BioFiber™ . BioFiber'' can provide nutritional support to help promote a healthy blood glucose level, a healthy blood cholesterol level, healthy digestive function and healthy immune function. BioFiber™ has been used as a dietary adjunct for calorie control diet by virtue of its ability to produce the sensation of fullness in the stomach when taken prior to meals and the healthy "feel full" weight control trick.

BioFiber™ is distinguished by its added content of healthy probiotic organisms which have far reaching health benefits.

In summary, the fiber component of BioFiber™ provides food for the growth of healthy bacteria, as well as the major versatile and potent health benefits of the soluble and insoluble fiber components. The oat bran fiber component of BioFiber™ contains the added benefits of probiotic healthy bacteria.

BioFiber™ is a truly unique, new generation of dietary fiber supplements that has great potential in the promotion of health and well-being of many different body functions, including primarily digestive health.