Types of dietary fiber
#364786 - 05/18/11 03:57 AM
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boron
Reged: 05/11/11
Posts: 47
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One possible dietary fiber categorization, no hard claims, comments appreciated:
1. SOLUBLE FIBER (may help in IBS, may soften stool)
- beta-glucan: oats, or as a supplement
- galactomannans: guar gum (E412), carob bean gum (E410), fenugreek gum, tara gum (417) as food additives or supplements
- glucomannans: konjac gum (E425)
- other gums: acacia gum (gum Arabic, E414), karaya gum (E416), gum tragacanth (E413)
- mucilage: psyllium husk
- pectin: figs (slightly more IF than SF), and as a food additive (E440)
- polydextrose (E1200), a synthetic polysaccharide used as a food additive
- soluble fiber in seaweeds: alginate (E400-E404), agar-agar (E406), carrageenan (E407), used as food additives
2. INSOLUBLE FIBER (may worsen IBS, but it stimulates peristalsis and softens stool, so it may help in non-IBS constipation)
- cellulose: fruit skins, wheat/oat bran, wholemeal bread, cabbage, Brussel's sprouts, legumes, nuts
- hemicellulose: psyllium husk, apples, cabbage, beans
- lignin: seed husks, edible seeds (in berries, tomatoes), cabbage, broccoli, apples
3. RESISTANT STARCHES (insoluble, fermentable fiber, but may help in diarrhea-predominant IBS)
- RS1: starches physically protected from digestion: in beans; flaxseed (IF>SF); brown rice(IF>SF, contains fructose, not good for fructose malabsorption)
- RS2: raw starches: green bananas (IF>SF, high-amylose corn or amylomaize)
- RS3: cooked and cooled starchy foods: in potatoes, white rice, pasta, noodles
- RS4: modified food starches (chemically changed starches used as "added fiber")
4. OLIGOSACCHARIDES (soluble fiber, but may worsen IBS)
- fructooligosaccharides (FOS) used as "added fiber" or sweeteners in commercial foods, or naturally occurring in Jerusalem artichokes, chicory roots, onions, shallots, garlic. INULIN is a fructose polysaccharide, acts much as FOS.
- galactooligosaccharides (GOS):
- - raffinose and stachyose (legumes, cabbage family: cabbage, broccoli, Brussel's sprouts, cauliflower; asparagus, whole grains)
- - synthetic GOS used as "added fiber" in infant formula and other commercial foods)
Question: What is your experience with barley, figs, green bananas and psyllium husk?
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I don't have IBS.
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The categorization of fibers is a bit more complicated. Here are a some quotes from the reference below you might find useful. It seems to clear up some of the confusion about the solubility of RS. It also contains some tables you may find useful. The Linus Pauling Institute web site at Oregon State U on the fiber page says "Beta-glucans, gums, mucilages (e.g., psyllium), pectins, and some hemicelluloses are soluble fibers while cellulose, lignin, some pectins, and some hemicelluloses are insoluble fibers (10)." It seems not all hemicelluloses are insoluble.
"Insoluble fibre has passive water-attracting properties that help increase bulk, soften stools and shorten transit time through the intestinal tract. Most insoluble fibres are also resistant to fermentation in the large bowel. Soluble indicates a fibre source that readily holds water, forming a viscous solution as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, and is fermented"
"First, there are many components, such as the resistant starches and the oligosaccharides, which, by their indigestible nature, could be considered to contribute to the total amount of dietary fibre in the diet. If such components were included in a definition of dietary fibre, they do not fit into this neat soluble/insoluble categorisation."
"Resistant starches and oligosaccharides have physiological characteristics that are more akin to other similar components than to 'soluble' or 'insoluble' components. As a result, were these compounds included, they would need to be considered separately."
"Second, to differentiate by solubility in water ignores the 'metabolism' that occurs in the large bowel. Here, fermentation of different types of fibre produces endproducts with significant health effects, although ffects are not predicted by solubility. It is now clear that some insoluble fibres are in fact fermented in the large bowel whereas some soluble fibres have no clear health effect."
"Defining dietary fibre physiologically allows recognition of the analogous carbohydrates. These are carbohydrates with structures and physiological properties similar to those of naturally occurring dietary fibres."
"In summary, a workable definition of dietary fibre should: clarify the constituent makeup of dietary fibre; recognise that a primary characteristic is resistance to digestion and absorption in the small intestine and fermentation in the large intestine; and demonstrate that fibre has physiological properties."
Reference
Lunn, J. & Buttriss, J. L. Carbohydrates and dietary fibre . Nutrition Bulletin 32, 21-64 (2007).
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I have eaten semi-ripe bananas on a large scale before (3 a day), never ever had D. (but do/did have a great amount of bloating from it)
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now: stable through EFI+FODMAP dieting (no lactose/no fructose/some fructans and some polyols)
before: IBS-D(pseudo-diarrhoea), bloating, often unbearable pain esp from too much fat: Apr 2007- Dec 2010
FODMAPs: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/072710p30.shtml
[I've tried VSL#3 -> I could tolerate v good amounts of IF (even with less SF), it worked great (but overall I find it too expensive)]
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Susie, thanks. Having gas ad not diarrhea after unripe bananas (containing resistant starch) goes well with the theory: resistant starches can absorb water and thus make stool more consistent; they are fermentable - large intestinal bacteria break them down and produce gases.
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I don't have IBS.
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