The Hidden Benefit of Fibre
Will Dyson ·
Fibre To Prevent Cardiovascular Disease?!
In general, I think most people are aware that fibre is "good for us", and in my time coaching, I think this stands true for most aspects of nutrition - we have a general understanding of what is and isn't good for us, but often haven't got enough of a c...
Fibre To Prevent Cardiovascular Disease?!
In general, I think most people are aware that fibre is "good for us", and in my time coaching, I think this stands true for most aspects of nutrition - we have a general understanding of what is and isn't good for us, but often haven't got enough of a clear picture of the end outcome for things to truly settle in.
I tried to think the other day of the "biggest hitters" when it comes down to making easy and sustainable choices that don't make our tastebuds want to kill themselves, and fibre ranked pretty highly. Today I'm going to talk about one of the lesser known benefits of fibre... in reducing heart disease risk.
This feature of fibre is specific to soluble fibre. And how it works is pretty simple...
Soluble fibre forms a gel in the gut, increasing intestinal content viscosity, which slows the movement of cholesterol through the intestinal wall; meaning less is absorbed. It also reduces bile acid resorption. Bile acids are crucial for fat uptake acting kind of like the egg yolks that emulsify mayonnaise, without it, we'd only be able to absorb about 50% of the fats in our diet. Typically >95% is shuttled back to the liver in the ileum and recycled, meaning soluble fibre forces the liver to use more cholesterol to replenish bile acids, which it does by pulling more out of our circulation. Lastly, it may also increase the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) via fermentation from our helpful little gut bacteria friends, partly explaining the link between fibre and the gut microbiome. This is especially true for propionate, which may reduce liver cholesterol production.
To give you some numbers, just 5-10 grams of soluble fibre per day will typically lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol up to 0.28 mmol/L - a pretty decent reduction for what, in reality, is a small price to pay. How small a price I hear you ask?
Well, good sources of soluble fibre include things oats, beans, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans etc.), apples, pears, avocados, carrots, sweet potatoes and many others. 100 grams of (cooked) oats will provide ~0.8 grams, the same weight of chickpeas and beans will provide ~1.6-2.8 grams, and avocado and sweet potato coming in at ~2.3 and ~1.5 grams respectively.
Other benefits to soluble fibre intake include helping to improve blood sugar control, increasing fullness after meals, supporting the gut microbiome, and improving stool consistency. So even if cholesterol isn’t something you actively think about, you’re still getting plenty of return on investment by getting more of it in.
Coach
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