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
Beta-glucan has been on the market for decades as an immunity supplement, often used for cancer.
A search on Pubmed for “beta-glucan cancer” returns 1922 medical studies, which is a lot. Of those, 462 are from the past 5 years, and 107 from the past year.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=beta-glucan+cancer
Just because one "feels" hungry, doesn't mean one needs to eat. The body expects the amount of food it is used to getting. The body also needs less as it ages.
Stop eating based on feeling and eat based on knowledge and never be overweight again.
Signed,
Slim, fit 60 yo woman
I eat oatmeal mixed with sausage/bacon and apple/blueberry chunks most every day. Sometimes peanut butter powder or brown sugar thrown in.
A little bit of prep work in this world of instant gratification.
Fasting is good as well.
A form (of fiber) 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.
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The problem with barley is that too much of it is contaminated with ergot. You don’t want to mess with ergot.
Yes, it can trip you up.....................
What are you talking about?
Not even sure what that means in the context of my post.
There’s a table for minimum fiber intake, here:
Men are either at 30 (51+ years) or 38 (<= 50 years) grams, for their minimum, while women are 21 (51+ years ) or 25 (<= 50 years) (I’ve also seen it at 28 for women, elsewhere) grams, per day.
Beta glucan helps certain gut bacteria make butyrate; however, other soluble fibers can help other bacteria make butyrate, yet, the study didn’t seem to find the same benefits from that.
I expect there’s some other benefit besides the butyrate the beta glucan is helping with.
One good source of beta glucan is mushrooms.
You are trashing what appears to be a weight loss miracle. So tell me do you have any weight issues?
Was I?
I have been on a GLP-1 for six months you moron. If you read ANYTHING about them, you will find that one of the biggest issues is that once the person goes off the drug, it it’s likely they will gain back the weight UNLESS they take the time they are on it to adjust how, when, and what they eat.
You always jump to conclusions. And most of the time you are wrong. Doesn’t that get boring for you?
And, the original purpose of these drugs was for controlling diabetes and blood sugar. Weight loss applications are recent FDA approvals—often causing the companies to release “mirror” drugs (same formula, different doses and different prescription requirements).
For diabetes or weight?
Diabetes. The weight loss came on fast, but has settled down. I’ve had to adjust my diet. The weight loss now is more associated with diet.
I’ve been able to drop one diabetes med, and cut the others in half.
Prior to this I had dropped weight, but the blood sugar was still elevated. I was not a fan of adding MORE meds to my life. But after a year of my doc suggesting it I decided give it a shot.
I went for a visit last week and my numbers have improved significantly.
Good news for you. I hope you do well on it.
Eating less and exercising regularly would also have the same effect as Ozempic ... without the huge price tag.
Thank you.
I should post my mother in laws meatloaf recipe.
You will quickly lose weight as your innards will be cleaned out if you know what I mean....
Hahaha! Thanks for an early-morning laugh!!!!
You misunderstood me. GLP-1s slow digestion, so patients are inclined to eat less. Less eating = less unhealthy eating, less weight gain. While taking GLP-1s, the body does not "feel" hungry.
You easily dismiss weight gain based on feeling and based on emotion, but that's difficult for a lot of people.
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