Posted on 10/18/2025 8:15:43 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
New findings show how a simple dietary change that increases fiber intake can reshape gut bacteria to prevent sugar from damaging the liver and causing disease.
"We found that consuming a type of dietary fiber called inulin, abundant in vegetables, changes the bacteria in the gut to promote the consumption of harmful dietary fructose," says Cholsoon Jang, Ph.D.
"This leads to less fructose spillover to the liver, preventing fructose-induced fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Inulin also helps the liver make more of its antioxidant to prevent inflammation."
Revealing how common dietary fiber—inulin—reshapes gut bacteria to improve metabolic health is an important step forward in helping people avoid liver damage and insulin resistance.
"We focused on these diseases that occur in non-obese individuals, which are particularly hard to diagnose due to their normal body weight," says Jang. "Our study provides a mechanistic insight into how fiber protects our health from harmful nutrients like fructose."
Researchers found that inulin stimulates the breakdown of dietary fructose by small intestinal gut bacteria, reducing fructose spillover to the colon and liver. This action prevents fructose-induced hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and augments hepatic serine/glycine production for antioxidant synthesis, protecting the liver from lipid accumulation and oxidative stress.
Their findings open the door to preventive medicine based on dietary choices that promote healthy gut bacteria. Going forward, the researchers plan to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of other abundant dietary fibers on fructose-induced diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease and cancer.
"By identifying specific gut bacteria and metabolic pathways involved, our findings can guide personalized nutrition strategies," says Jang.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
This curbs insulin resistance and helps our liver retain its natural antioxidants (glutathione).
Do note people with cirrhosis should greatly limit their intake of inulin, which for them, encourages liver cancer.
“Diets rich in refined fiber may increase liver cancer risk in some individuals (Inulin danger with liver cirrhosis & portosystemic shunt birth defect)”
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4095868/posts
The real solution would be to stop eating foods with fructose.
Time to put in your orders for takinogawa gobo before the seeds are all sold out.
Don't know if it really does all that, but it is good fiber.
“The real solution would be to stop eating foods with fructose.”
Easy now, Sparky.
You can’t have Logic and Reason intrude into any discussion of health and nutrition.
Other ingredients in Metamucil can include:
Maltodextrin
Citric acid
Aspartame (in some varieties)
Stevia (in some varieties)
Natural and artificial flavors
FD&C Yellow 6 (in some varieties)
there are many pure psyllium husk powder supplements without additional additives, both bulk and capsules ...
Not exactly.
The real solution would be for researchers & doctors alike to remove their heads from the gut orifice.
Seriously, however, that this discussion is still being made without comprehensive knowledge & conclusions in this era about the gut is a pathetic footnote upon the medical community.
But your comment is quite intuitive. i.e., Ask not what to put in your gut, but what NOT to put in your gut.
Still, the myopia & seeming intentional ignorance of both doctors and medical ‘scientists’ is absolutely maddening.
The logical conclusion to a transition would be a study paper entitled,
“Understanding how avoiding [a long list of toxic so-called ‘foods’ and other chemicals] improve metabolic health”
What about dextrin?
And which source ?
Corn or wheat or
Do I need to worry about hybtid crop sources of dextrin
Need to be careful with inulin or chicory root as it is sometimes called on labels. Some people such as yours truly have a really bad reaction to inulin. It makes us very gassy and causes diarrhea. I’ve learned the hard way to check any product promising high fiber. It probably contains inulin.
Bkmk
What is “refined fiber”?
I’ve grown a bunch of Jerusalem artichokes these past couple of years. They look like really tall daisies but the make root tubers, which are extremely high in inulin. And they are prolific. Too much!
Now that we are in a Protein kick, my guess the next “fad” will be either be fiber or inflammation. I’m guessing fiber.
I use psyllium husks in capsules.
I started taking this based on you mentioning having doing the same a couple years ago. I had IBS (or at least my Dr suggested as much?) 5-6 days a weeks I’d wake up and the plumbing was like I had drank Tijuana water. This had been going on for 6+ months. I tried a non dairy diet, no help, no alcohol, nope. Then started Inulin, only a teaspoon a day along with some OTC fiber pills in the morning. I’m 90% better and have sustained that level for well over a year. I can’t think of any other changes that could explain the improvement.
Phil Hartman was right up there with the best of the SNL actors back in the day when it was still funny and a lot less one sided politically.
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