Tag Archive for: fiber

Maltodextrin in Moderation

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Now that we know a little about maltodextrin (MAL), let’s get into the details. I think there are two issues behind the concern about maltodextrin. The first is that MAL increases the glycemic index (GI). The GI of MAL is nearly as high as glucose, coming in at 95. That’s why it’s found in some products geared toward exercise—it becomes available quickly for energy. Energy gels for long-distance athletes contain MAL as their source of sugar. On the other hand, the resistant maltodextrin (RMAL) comes in at a paltry 5, which means it won’t impact blood sugar at all.

The second issue may be the source of the maltodextrins. The starches to make RMAL and MAL generally come from potatoes, wheat, corn, rice, and cassava. That presents issues for people who are allergic to wheat and corn. The primary source for MAL in the U.S. is corn, while wheat is the primary source in Europe; obviously, wheat is a problem for those who are allergic to wheat. Corn also gets a bad rap because almost all corn grown in the U.S. is GMO. There’s no evidence GMO foods are harmful, but many people want to stay away from bioengineered foods.

Is MAL safe to use in our food supply? Yes. Is RMAL also safe, and beneficial in our food? Yes. But it all comes down to this: how much are you going to consume? If it’s used as a stabilizer in complementary foods, manufacturers have most likely used RMAL; it wouldn’t impact blood sugar in a negative way and also gives you the benefit of fiber. But if it is MAL and you consume too much of it, it could have a negative impact on your health over time. And that’s the real story behind maltodextrin.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: National Institutes of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

What Is Resistant Maltodextrin?

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I received a question from a long-time reader last week concerning maltodextrin and why it might be bad enough to end up on some health experts’ do-not-eat list. I’ve never written about it before, so let’s take a look.

Let’s start with this: there are two forms of maltodextrin. One is known as maltodextrin (MAL) and the other is called resistant maltodextrin (RMAL). What’s the difference?

Dextrins are the indigestible component of starch; starchy foods include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals. Using heat and enzymes, they’re turned into indigestible dextrins called RMAL. Resistant to what? Digestive enzymes. In simpler terms, it’s a fermentable fiber that’s been researched for its potential to lower the risk of hypoglycemia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. What makes it special is that it can serve as a prebiotic as well as fiber.

If the RMAL is further broken down, it results in MAL; it’s used in many foods, but the difference is that it’s broken down into simple sugar molecules, which we absorb quickly. Like almost every food I talk about, a little is good but too much may be harmful. I’ll cover why on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: National Institutes of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

What About Fiber?

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Here’s one more thing you might want to add to your smoothie: fiber. In this case, it depends on the type of fiber more than anything else. Let me illustrate. My grandson Riley and I have something we call “soup” almost every night. It has two kinds of fiber as well as a probiotic mixed with water.

Riley can be pokey when he eats and sometimes, it carries over to when he drinks liquids. One evening, when I wasn’t paying attention, he didn’t drink his soup quickly enough, and it turned into a jelly-like consistency. The reason is that one of the fibers I put in the blend is ground psyllium husks, and while it’s great fiber, that’s one of its characteristics. It will do the same thing if you take too long to drink your smoothie.

There are some fibers that don’t turn to gel quite as fast as psyllium husks such as inulin, pectin, guar gum, and digestion-resistant maltodextrin. These fibers function differently than psyllium fiber. I don’t know that I would prepare them the night before and let them sit in the fridge overnight, but hey, if you’re willing to give it a try, go for it.

The Insider Conference Call is tomorrow night. The topic of the night is a look at the benefits of blood orange on metabolism as well as answering Insider questions. You can join in by becoming an Insider by 8 p.m. Wednesday evening.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Coffee to Go

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The health benefits of tea are substantial, and in some ways, coffee is even better. They both have substantial amounts of  phytonutrients, but this isn’t about the benefits to your heart, your liver, or your brain. This is about the comparative benefits to your digestive system of coffee and tea. While the fiber approach wasn’t really significant, one of the nutrients in both drinks was.

While I’ve never given it much thought, some people feel the urge to defecate shortly after drinking a cup of coffee, and to a lesser extent, tea as well. With all those phytonutrients, researchers selected a nutrient common to both to test: caffeine. That appeared to be the only study done to directly test the impact of caffeine on bowel movements.

The subjects were required to insert an anorectal manometer into their rectum to test the pressure of the anal sphincter muscles. (Let’s pause here to say a thank you to all the people who volunteer as subjects in these health studies.) There was no response to drinking plain water, but after caffeine ingestion there was a significant increase in pressure at 10 minutes and even greater pressure at 15 minutes. In short, the increase in pressure indicated the ability to “go” once the muscles relaxed.

The only issue I see is the amount of caffeine: the researchers tested at 3.5 mg/kg body weight. For a 180-pound person, that would be almost 300 mg caffeine in one dose, or almost four cups of coffee at one sitting. It would have been nice to see the lowest dose that worked, because not many people would tolerate that much caffeine in one dose. Then there is the issue of genetics, comparing fast metabolizers versus slow caffeine metabolizers.

The Bottom Line

That’s the scoop on poop from a coffee versus tea perspective. You probably never thought about it, but that morning cup of Joe just might help you go. Enjoy the Super Bowl—or not. But if you only watch it for the half-time show, you might want to consider your timing on what you drink, when you drink it, and how much caffeine you get.

Remember, the Aging with a Vengeance: Managing Pain webinar is in two weeks on February 25. Information will be coming soon.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Dis Colon Rectum. 2008 Jun;51(6):928-31.

Fiber, Coffee, and Tea

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Paula’s recovery from her knee replacement is going well. While she’s been rehabbing, she does a lot of reading and recently passed on an article that compared the health benefits of coffee vs. tea. One of the comparisons was about fiber: did either have any? The article suggested that there was 1 to 1.5 grams of fiber per cup of coffee. If true, that would help fiber-lacking Americans reach their RDA of 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day.

I checked it out. In a single study, researchers found that there was about 0.5 g fiber in 3.3 ounces of brewed coffee or just over a gram per 8-ounce cup. If you drink coffee like I do, that could add up. But what about tea? Nothing really, whether brewed black or green tea. Matcha (green tea) does have fiber, but it’s not clear whether it’s just in the residue after brewing or in the liquid itself.

What coffee and tea both have are phytonutrients and plenty of them. While fiber might not be readily available, could there be something else that could help with digestion and especially, elimination? Yes, and I’ll tell you about it on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Mar 7;55(5):1999-2003.

Fiber: Food or Supplements?

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We don’t seem to eat enough whole or minimally processed plant foods, so the researchers were trying to discover whether getting fiber, especially insoluble fiber, was better from plant material or whether taking fiber in supplement form would suffice.

Researchers approached the question from the perspective of other beneficial nutrients that might be found in plants that might be processed out of fiber supplements. They conducted a literature search and found that just 44 studies that examined the phytonutrient content of many plant foods and met their criteria. They focused on insoluble fiber which would be found in the skin of apples and beans, seeds and nuts, and many other components of raw foods that are discarded in processing.

Bioactive Nutrients are Present

While the techniques are complicated and resulted in very long lists of various phytonutrients, insoluble fiber contains many of them. Part of the issue is that there are components we would never eat such as corn cobs or the peels of oranges. Fortunately, there are enough plants that we ordinarily eat that contain insoluble fiber.

That doesn’t mean that soluble fiber such as inulin and psyllium are not beneficial; they add bulk to the stool and help the digestive system in general. It also doesn’t mean that every source of insoluble fiber is beneficial; phytic acid found in the shells of beans can prevent minerals from being chelated and thus absorbed, but cooking the beans breaks down phytic acid without destroying the insoluble fiber. The good news is that the phytonutrients are there as we eat the foods.

Food or Supplements?

The study didn’t completely answer the question, mostly because of the paucity of research on insoluble fiber (or any type of fiber) and the beneficial nutrients it contains. They suggested that the challenges presented to the taste and textures of adding insoluble fiber to foods might be too challenging to be accepted by the public. While it’s easy to say “eat more plant-based foods,” getting people to do it is really difficult.

So if “Food or supplements?” is the question, my answer would be “Yes!” I think the convenience of having psyllium and inulin in powders is great because they mix well with water and can be put into drinks as long as they are consumed quickly. Adding a squeeze of lemon or a no-calorie flavor packet can make the drink more palatable.

For insoluble fiber, I think food is the way to go. Apples and pears with their peels, cooked red, black, chickpea, great northern, and other beans, root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and yams, carrots, oatmeal, flax seed, and bran as in bran flakes are excellent choices. They can be used in cooking, so be creative. Black bean salad, hummus, chili with beans, and many more sources can be eaten on a regular basis. We just have to seek them out.

The Bottom Line

The big benefit of insoluble fiber from foods is all the other phytonutrients you’ll also be getting. Just make sure you use spices to make them more palatable, including a little sugar if necessary. With Thanksgiving less than a week away, think of the sides you can create that could include root vegetables, beans, and other foods high in insoluble fiber. The old saying about an apple a day was more correct than we knew.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, Paula, Riley, Jamie, and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you get to spend it with family and friends. The Memo will resume the following week. Be well and travel safely.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nutrients 2023, 15, 4138. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu151941382.

Natural Fiber vs. Added Fiber

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In a recent paper, researchers reviewed the literature to see whether there are benefits to eating more plant foods or whether adding insoluble fiber to processed foods would be an adequate substitute. But first, a review.

The Recommended Dietary Intake of fiber is 25–35 grams per day; American adults eat only 10–15 grams per day. You see the problem. Besides the benefit to the digestive system, other benefits include a lower risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Different fibers deliver different health benefits, depending on the chemical properties such as solubility, viscosity, and fermentability. That last one is an important one; the type of bacteria that proliferate in your gut is dependent on what you feed them.

Does insoluble fiber from vegetables, beans, nuts, and fruits, could provide better health benefits than getting fiber from processed foods or taken as a supplement? Many processed foods have their fiber removed, and then fiber is added to whatever food is made such as breads, pasta, and cereals. Turns out that plant foods may be better but not for the reason you might think. Isn’t fiber just fiber? I’ll tell you on Saturday.

Tomorrow night is the monthly Insider conference call. I’ll answer your Insider questions about conditions and products, and also expand on my recent take on vaccinations. Become an Insider by 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night and you can join in live!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nutrients 2023, 15, 4138. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu151941382.

Ultra-Processed Foods: Losing Calories

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In our examination of the research on ultra-processed food (UPF), we’ve found out that we consume more calories and that we absorb more calories if we eat UPF. The final question is probably going to seem a little unusual. Do we actually lose more calories if we eat less UPF? In other words, do we actually eliminate calories if we eat a diet favorable to our microbiome? This is really interesting: we may actually not absorb every calorie we consume! I must admit that this one surprised me; I didn’t realize that we lost calories in our stool under healthy conditions.

Researchers wanted to test whether diet could influence the number of calories lost in feces among a variety of other variables. The researchers recruited 17 healthy, normal-weight to overweight men and women with an average age of 31. They designed a diet that could enhance the microbiome by feeding the healthy microbes that reside in the colon. They matched the diet for percentages of calories and macronutrients with a Westernized diet. The major difference was the fiber content and level of resistant starch; the Western diet included more highly processed foods.

At different points in the study, on both types of diets, they measured the exact calories consumed, calories used in exercise, rest, and sleep, and collected all urine and stool for 24 hours. The most interesting result was that the microbiome-friendly diet increased the calories lost in the stool by an average of 116 calories per day. The bacteria were using the fiber and resistant starch to manufacture more metabolizable calories, but they were lost in feces. They weren’t absorbed, so those calories do not apply.

What does it all mean? More than that, what is the question that hasn’t been answered by any study on ultra-processed food? I’ll cover that on Saturday.

And here’s one more reason to limit UPF, according to an article in the Washington Post: “…eating more pro-inflammatory foods, such as processed meats or sugary sodas, was associated with a higher risk of fecal incontinence. The authors hypothesized that pro-inflammatory foods could have negative interactions with the gut microbiome and diminish the function of the muscles and nerves of the pelvic floor.”

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38778-x

Are Ultra-Processed Foods Absorbed Faster?

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The next question to consider with UPFs is this: Do you absorb more calories from UPFs than you would from minimally processed food? The answer appears to be yes, but requires some explanation.

Keep in mind that UPFs have been mechanically and chemically altered during the manufacturing process. The original grains of wheat, corn, or even something such as carrots bear no resemblance to their original form. The components, especially the fiber, have been torn apart. What’s the big deal? The normal chemical bonds that make up the food matrix are no longer in the same form as they were. Therefore, they require less digestion and potentially can be absorbed much faster starting in the small intestine.

That can mean a couple of things. The higher the proportion of UPFs in the diet, the more calories from carbohydrates can enter the bloodstream and get there faster. Blood sugar goes up more quickly; if the calories aren’t immediately used, the extra calories can be converted into fat for storage, and don’t we all love that!

It also means that the food that could have fed our microbiome is no longer present—we’ve taken in plenty of calories, but our microbiome is starving. What nutrient is missing? Fiber in the form of resistant starch. What does it resist? Digestion and absorption. That’s the food for probiotics in the microbiome, and without it, our microbiome is starving and not as healthy as it could be. The more UPFs you eat, the more you need a fiber supplement.

There is one more question that needs to be addressed, and I’ll do that in the next Memo. In the meantime, how about a bowl of steel-cut oats, bean soup, or a nice salad? Your microbiome will be so happy!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008
2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38778-x

When Supplements Aren’t Absorbed

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If you take any type of dietary supplement, you want to make sure that you’re getting the active ingredient whether that’s turmeric, the mineral iron, or omega-3 fatty acids. The problem is that whether in its natural form in food or put into dietary supplements, nutrients can be difficult to absorb. In addition, the same holds true for pharmaceuticals as well. Here are some of the reasons why:

  • Taking supplements with food is important for nutrient absorption. If they’re fat-soluble, they need fat present to be absorbed. That’s problematic if someone takes the supplement without food or is on a low-fat diet.
  • I seem to always talk about increasing fiber in the diet, and we should, but fiber can interfere with the absorption of some nutrients. It may be the increased transit time or some form of mechanical blockage, but it happens.
  • Finally, gut health may also impact the absorption of nutrients. Lack of enzymes, too acidic or too alkaline, or lack of a healthy microbiome can also impact nutrient absorption.

All is not lost; the pharmaceutical and supplement industries have been working on ways to help deliver more active ingredients. I’ll cover those on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet