Discover the little-known benefits of eating more fiber and the best ways to incorporate it into your diet.
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Here are 4 lesser-known health effects of eating more fiber
1.
In response to our rising blood sugar, the hormoneinsulinis released.
a New York City-based registered dietitian nutritionist
When it comes to blood sugar stability, fiber is your best friend.
It slows the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, helping to prevent large spikes and subsequent crashes.
Choosingcarb sources rich in fiberpromotes stable blood sugar, which also means sustained energy levels andgreater satiety1.
Your LDL cholesterol may go down
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterolis often referred to as the bad cholesterol.
This is because having high levels in your blood increases your risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
Normally, we reabsorb bile acids in our intestine so they can be recycled.
When soluble fiber binds with them, however, they cant be reabsorbed.
Instead, we make more bile acids out of our own cholesterol, lowering blood cholesterol as a result.
In fact,almost half of U.S. adults are estimated to have high blood pressureaccording to the CDC.
a New York City-based registered dietitian nutritionist
Eating fiber-rich foods can help to lower your cholesterol, which may lead toimproved vasodilation54.
This means blood vessels are better able to expand, causing blood pressure to decrease.
Additionally, higher fiber intakes are associated withimproved metabolic health, which is also linked to lower blood pressure.
This means reduced risk for bone fractures and conditions likeosteoporosis and osteopeniadown the line.
Certain fibers have prebiotic properties, meaning they feed our good gut bacteria, encouraging a healthy gut microbiome.
When these bacteria are well-fed, they produce special anti-inflammatory compounds called short-chain fatty acids.
The prebiotic fibers most strongly associated with improved mineral absorption are called fructooligosaccharides (FOS).
you could find them in foods likeasparagus, artichokes, garlic, onions, barley, and chicory.
How much fiber is enough?
Its best to start slow and low, gradually ramping up your fiber intake over a few weeks.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, too, to ensure things move through smoothly.
Baumgartner, Sabine, et al.
311, October 2020, pp.
Du, Peng et al.
Frontiers in Nutrition, vol.
8, 2021, Article 730205. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.730205.
Institute of Medicine (US) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes.
Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride.
National Academies Press (US), 1997.
Chapter 4, Calcium.
Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK109827/.
Costa, G.T., et al.
Systematic review of the ingestion of fructooligosaccharides on the absorption of minerals and trace elements versus control groups.
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, vol.
41, February 2021, pp.
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