Dietary Fiber Supplement

- Soluble and Insoluble Fiber

Ideally, a dietary fiber supplement should contain a mixture of both soluble and insoluble fiber. If it doesn't, you'll need to make up the difference by including the component that isn't there.

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. That's why it adds bulk to the stools and speeds up the passage of stools through the colon. You'll notice in dietary fiber supplements that part of it doesn't dissolve when mixed with water. This is a good thing!

Foods high in insoluble fiber includes whole grain cereals, like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, whole oats and amaranth. Others include nuts, crunchy vegetables, and seeds like sesame and pumpkin seeds. Dietary fiber supplements often contain ground oats, and vegetables are easy enough to add in on top in your diet.

Insoluble fiber is good for

• diverticulitis
• colon cancer
• obesity
• constipation

If you don't have a lot of fiber in your diet already, increasing the amount of fiber suddenly, including by taking dietary fiber supplements, can lead to gas, bloating, and stomach cramps. It's important to start gradually, and increase the amount you eat over a few days or weeks.

Dr Kenneth Cooper quotes a study in which Japanese researchers found that a diet with wheat bran increased the transit time in the colon in rats, as well as reducing the absorption of fats, and increasing the bulk of stools.

Dr Cooper suggest taking 10 to 18 grams of insoluble fiber a day.

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber is similar in some of the ways it works to insoluble fiber, but it does additional things. Some studies have found soluble fiber can lower cholesterol, which reduces the chance of heart disease. But a study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that those men participating who had both soluble and insoluble fiber in their diets lowered their risk of heart disease the most. They had 25 or more grams of fiber a day, from sources like dried beans and oats (soluble fiber), cereal, and fruit like apples, bananas and oranges. Dietary fiber supplements are a good source of soluble fiber.

Soluble fiber is great at helping keep blood sugar levels stable, and it creates a sense of fullness, which helps prevent overeating.

Sources of soluble dietary fiber supplements include psyllium, metamucil,and oatmeal. Flax finely ground (not the oil) has both soluble and insoluble fiber, but mostly soluble. Barley also has soluble fiber, as does rice bran, peas, beans and citrus fruit like oranges, lemons and grapefruit.

Dr Cooper suggests taking 20 to 25 grams of total fiber a day, spilt between soluble and insoluble. They can be from food sources, or dietary fiber supplements.

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References: Dr Kenneth Cooper, Advanced Nutritional Therapies