Posted on 07/25/2024 5:46:20 AM PDT by Red Badger
Research on the gut microbiome has triggered a 'revolution' in nutritional science, and in the last few years, dietary fiber has become the "new protein" – added to foods in abundance to feed our gut and boost our health.
A recent study on mice, however, suggests not all fiber supplements are equally beneficial.
A form that is readily found in oats and barley, called beta-glucan, can control blood sugar and assist in weight loss among mice fed a high-fat diet.
Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) and the University of Vienna say it is the only type of fiber supplement they tested that decreased a mouse's fat content and body weight within 18 weeks.
The other fibers considered, including wheat dextrin, pectin, resistant starch, and cellulose, had no such effect, despite shifting the makeup of the mouse microbiome significantly compared to mice fed no fiber supplements.
"We know that fiber is important and beneficial; the problem is that there are so many different types of fiber," explains biomedical scientist Frank Duca from UA.
"We wanted to know what kind of fiber would be most beneficial for weight loss and improvements in glucose homeostasis so that we can inform the community, the consumer, and then also inform the agricultural industry."
Dietary fibers are the main source of energy for bacteria living in our guts, and yet less than 5 percent of people in the US consume the recommended 25–30 grams (0.9–1 ounce) of fiber a day.
To make up for this, fiber supplements and 'invisible fiber'-infused foods are growing in popularity. But fibers are extremely diverse, so which do we choose?
Some fibers, like oat beta-glucans and wheat dextrin, are water-soluble, meaning they are easily fermented by gut bacteria. Others, like cellulose and resistant starch, are less soluble or insoluble, meaning they stick to other materials to form stool.
Until now, writes biomedical scientist Elizabeth Howard from UA and her colleagues, "there is no study that has investigated the role of various fibers in one cohort."
To make up for this, the current study tested several forms of fiber in one cohort of mice. Only beta-glucan was found to increase the number of Ileibacterium found in the mouse intestine. Other studies on mice have linked this bacterium to weight loss.
Sure enough, long before the 10-week marker, mice fed beta-glucan showed reduced body weight and body fat content compared to mice fed other forms of fiber.
The findings align with another recent study by Duca, which fed barley flour, rich in beta-glucan, to rodents. Even though the rats continued eating just as much of their high-fat diet as before, their energy expenditure increased and they lost weight anyway.
A similar outcome was observed in mice fed beta-glucan in the new study. These animals also showed increased concentrations of butyrate in their guts, which is a metabolite made when microbes break down fiber.
Butyrate induces the release of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is the natural protein that synthetic drugs like Ozempic mimic to stimulate insulin release.
"Part of the benefits of consuming dietary fiber is through the release of GLP-1 and other gut peptides that regulate appetite and body weight," explains Duca.
"However, we don't think that's all of the effect. We think that there are other beneficial things that butyrate could be doing that are not gut peptide related, such as improving gut barrier health and targeting peripheral organs like the liver."
Far more research is needed before these results can be extended to humans, but the findings suggest that some fibers may be better suited to weight loss and insulin control than others.
The study was published in the Journal of Nutrition:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.05.003
Ping!..................
Oatmeal has been recommended as a food that would moderate blood glucose since I was a teenager. And that was a long, long time ago. I guess the old wives tales were based on “real” things.
Don’t eat food made or grown with HFCS, seed oils, or glyphosate. Instant Ozempic and it’s absolutely free - except for the extra time you need to spend shopping and cooking to avoid these things.
The minimum fiber expectation for men 50 and under is as high as 38 grams of fibers a day.
Certainly cheaper.
https://www.goodrx.com/ozempic
Ozempic $1000 per month!
NO WONDER YOU LOSE WEIGHT.........YOU CAN’T AFFORD GROCERIES!!!................
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GLP-1 have been around for about a decade. They are not “new.”
Their boutique, “gotta get into my prom dress” use is what has been driving this mania. When those folks realize they have to actually maintain their diets, the bloom will fall off the rose.
For people with type II diabetes, these drugs are a godsend. Those are two very different categories.
As all too often: “assist in weight loss among mice fed a high-fat diet.”
They love mice studies, but mice are mostly herbivores who can also eat meat. FWIW, HORSES can also eat meat, but that wouldn’t make them good for studying how humans should eat.
And as many of us who almost never eat fiver can testify, it isn’t needed. Before I went Keto (2018?), I almost never ate fiber because I don’t like veggies and most fruits. Apart from that, I ate lots of breads but usually white breads without real fiber.
Keto worked to get me off the yo-yo diets. Weight came off and stayed off. I still eat maybe 2 grams of fiber a day, tops. And it hasn’t been an issue. I’ve never, in 60+ years without fiber, had problems with regularity. Now mostly carnivore, on Medicare, things are smoother than ever. So to speak. And I’m the leanest I’ve been since a baby.
The modern fascination with fiber is crazy.
Lots of beta-glucans supplements on Amazon including one made from Lion’s Mane mushrooms.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=beta+glucan+barley+oats
I guess you have never had a weight problem.
Odd that the article jumps from talking about beta-glucan over to touting the benefits of butyrate, without linking the two.
Hmmmm, 38 GRAMS of fiber?
I guess I’ll go munch on my back yard lawn.................
Well, that does it!
I’m moving all of my holdings to Quaker Oats stocks! (Not!) ;)
... things are smoother than ever. ...🙄😏....................
Thanks. I missed that line somehow.
Oats and wheat just make me hungry
One of the benefits of GLP-1s is that those taking the medications have reduced appetites. Therefore, it's much easier to keep the weight off.
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