Tag Archive for: fiber

The End of Constipation

/in /by

I had a question recently about the difference between a laxative such as Miralax and fiber. While they’re both safe, there are similarities and there are differences.

They are similar in that they draw fluid into the intestines. Miralax uses chemicals while fiber uses plant sources; both draw fluid into the gut to soften the stool.

Where they’re different is that fiber can help two more ways. It can add bulk to the stool to aid in transport and be used as a prebiotic and feed the probiotics or good microbes. And if those microbes are fed better, they work better.

If you have a chronic issue with constipation, time to check in with your healthcare provider. If it’s an occasional issue, as can affect us all, check out this Health Info titled The Constipation Solution. It has worked well for both adults and children.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Keto Diet and Fiber

/in /by

More and more people are trying the ketogenic diet. If you do, the directions recommend that you eat plenty of green leafy vegetables for the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and especially the fiber. The problem is that many people cut the carbs from all sources and that includes vegetables.

The simplest way to give yourself some insurance while doing the ketogenic diet is to get at least five or more grams of fiber per day from a fiber supplement. Remember, the grams of fiber do not count as carbohydrates because they’re not absorbed. Check out Your Fiber Insurance, a free Health Info on my website for more information on exactly how to get your fiber every day. Health Infos are posted in PDF format so they can be downloaded, printed, and shared with others.

But what if in spite of all you do, you get constipated? See Thursday’s Memo for the answer.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Dealing with Keto Breath and Other Odors

/in /by

Quick question: what side effect do you typically assign to eating asparagus? I bet you took less than a second to come up an answer: a different odor to your urine, sometimes quite pungent. Asparagus is a cruciferous vegetable with phytonutrients that produce the effect.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we looked at digestive problems with going keto; today we’ll look at odor issues.

Ketosis, the result of metabolizing fat into ketones for use as a fuel, also has a specific odor associated with it: your breath can smell like nail polish remover. The ketones may have complicated names such as acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone, but they do one thing: they cause an odor in your mouth and as you breathe out. Our bodies always make those odors, but because we’re forcing the body to produce more ketones, the odor is more noticeable as ketone remnants exit the body via breath and urine.

In this case, there’s no real solution. If you want to use fat as a fuel almost exclusively, you learn to live with the smell. Just make sure to drink plenty of water, because water is important to get rid of these chemicals and protect the kidneys. Drinking water and brushing more frequently may help compensate for keto breath.

Health news has recently become full of eye-catching headlines about something termed “keto crotch.” While it can affect men, it seems to especially impact women by changing the odor of the vagina and vaginal discharges. It seems obvious that it’s the result of the diet, although there’s no research that I could find that has examined it. Gynecologists speculate that it’s the change in the vaginal pH that can contribute to increased odors. If that’s true, it would radically change the vaginal microbiome and that could change the odor. At this point, we don’t know.

One thing that may help is taking probiotics that contain Lactobacilli strains; some research has demonstrated benefits for bacterial vaginosis. Whether probiotics will help with the odor associated with the keto diet or not is unknown, but it’s possible. A prebiotic would also be needed to feed the probiotic because on a keto diet, there’s no fruit with its special sugar to feed the bacteria.

The Bottom Line

Going keto has side effects. Some people may not get any of them. Genetics, the microbiome, and other factors no doubt will have an impact on the extent of the side-effects. I’ve tried to cover the obvious ones this week but there are others, from depression to fatigue.

Which brings me to a question I’m often asked: what do I think about the ketogenic diet? I think it’s a good tool to use fat as a fuel for a limited time, and together with the right exercise program, it can be effective in helping people lose body fat; that’s why it’s part of the Fat-Burning Plan in the Optimal Performance Program.

I assess diets this way: what has to be added to make it healthy? Veganism requires most people get vitamin B12 from somewhere other than meat. The keto diet lacks vitamins, minerals, fiber, and probiotics typically found in vegetables. Both diets lack essential nutrients. If you decide to go keto, it’s important to add these supplements to your diet: a multivitamin-multimineral, probiotics, prebiotics, and fiber.

Because of the side effects, I just don’t think going keto is sustainable. Use it as a tool, as a means to an end for a specific goal. The goal is to stay healthy by learning to always do these three things: Eat better. Eat less. Move more.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Keto: Clearing the Air and Your Colon

/in /by

The next keto diet issues are still related to the digestive system: excessive gas and constipation. Let’s address the issue of gas first so that maybe the next time you bend over, you won’t have to worry about challenging the strength of your anal sphincter muscles.

The protein content of the revised keto diet may be lower than prior versions, but the body still has to break it down. If you don’t make enough digestive enzymes to breakdown the protein, it produces gas as it ferments in the microbiome. A lot of it. The simplest thing to do may be take a digestive enzyme that contains proteases to breakdown proteins before every meal. Taking a probiotic may also be a good idea, but we don’t know the specific strains of bacteria that will work on protein.

On the other hand, probiotics in general may help ease the constipation that can occur while on the ketogenic diet. The problem is this: the colon doesn’t have enough to do—waste products from foods are simply not there. Fats don’t have anything left after digestion; almost all protein sources don’t have much residue either. But your digestive system still has to repair and rebuild the digestive system on a regular basis. In addition to the probiotics, soluble fiber may again be the solution for the same reason as with diarrhea: it adds bulk to the stool.

I’ll wrap this up on Saturday with the topic that seems to still be making headlines: the odors associated with going keto.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Downsides of Going Keto

/in /by

News stories about the side-effects of the still-popular ketogenic diet are showing up more frequently, so let’s review those this week and look at what you can do to address the issues while still attempting to stay in ketosis.

The first side effect is generally diarrhea. With the newer version of the ketogenic diets, the emphasis is on fats and oils, which make up the majority of calories, with protein second, and carbs last. Two things seem to contribute to diarrhea. The first is the use of fats containing high amounts of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) such as extra-virgin coconut oil and other oil products made with added MCT. The reasons are unknown; it’s most likely related to changes in the microbiome due to the radical change in diet, but it may be that it’s a question of volume of MCT. Oils such as olive oil don’t seem to cause the problem. The solution to this problem may be experimenting with different oils to find the ones that work better for each individual.

The other reason the keto diet can cause diarrhea is a lack of fiber. The keto eating plan has no significant source of fiber in a diet without grains, beans and legumes, and vegetables; a couple cups of lettuce aren’t going to help very much. Soluble dietary fiber supplements may help, whether psyllium, inulin, or other fiber sources. Begin slowly by adding 5 grams a day mixed with water and slowly increase it to 15 or 20 grams spread out over the day. It can add bulk to the stool and stop what has been described as explosive diarrhea.

More on Thursday. Tomorrow is the Insider Conference call. There’s time for you to join before tomorrow’s call at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

More Reasons to Use Probiotics

/in /by

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is this: “Should I take probiotics when I take antibiotics? I don’t want to negate the benefits of the antibiotics.” Based on the summary of the Cochrane Review, I think there’s enough evidence to say that you should take probiotics any time you have to be on antibiotics. The research evidence is not perfect and the authors called for more and better research to confirm the results, but there appears to be no harm when taking probiotics during antibiotic use. If it doesn’t harm, then it’s a good idea to do it, even if the rate of C. diff is relatively low to begin with. But it’s a good idea to clear it with your doctor because reasons for taking antibiotics can be different.

There are a couple of things that we don’t know. What is the best type of probiotics to take? And how much should we take? In spite of those unknowns, when examining the data summary of all the studies, there was an overall benefit when probiotics were used. That means whether it was just one strain or several, in differing quantities, they all seemed to work. Whatever probiotic you typically use, take it during antibiotic use until we know more.

Another Review Paper

I’m currently going through a review paper on the brain-microbiome connection (3), and it’s one of the best reviews I’ve read in a long time. I’m still checking the background research; it’s complicated physiology and biochemistry. I can’t get it into the typical three Memos per week so it will be a new Bottom Line in the near future.

What I’ve taken away so far is that we should all be taking probiotics every day, unless there’s a reason you can’t. If you buy a quality product, they’re not inexpensive, but it’s still a good decision based on the potential benefits. In addition, it would be a good idea to add fermented foods to your diet every day: yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kim chi, and more. They all contain a variety of probiotics that can add to your microbiome.

You should also take a fiber supplement every day. Fiber supplements contain prebiotics that feed the probiotics—you’re feeding the good bacteria. In addition, eat foods with more fiber, and that means vegetables and fruits. Again, they can provide positive bacteria to help the microbiome if you eat them raw as well as the food the bacteria needs to thrive.

The Bottom Line

There is a long way to go until we have enough research that identifies the best strains and amounts of probiotics to take as well as the best sources. There’s always the possibility we’ll find a better way, such as eating specific varieties of fruit grown in a specific region of the world that has the right strains of bacteria. We just don’t know. But what we do know is that there are benefits to taking probiotics every day right now. I think that’s the path forward at this point for almost everyone.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

References:
1. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.9064.
2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Dec 19;12:CD006095.
3. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018;6:133–148.

 

Fiber and Your Microbiome

/in /by

Researchers used gnotobiotic mice in a recent study to test the importance of fiber; gnotobiotic mice are born with no bacteria of any type. Researchers used a synthetic human microbiome to introduce a bacteria colony into the mice. Once the colony was established, they withheld fiber from the diet of the mice. Then it gets scary: the mice’s microbiome used the naturally occurring mucus layer of the digestive system as food, which led to exposure of the underlying cells. The mice were exposed to a pathogen similar in effect to strains of E. coli in humans, and the mice that were deprived of fiber became ill as a result of the bacteria and died.

This mucus barrier is the same in our digestive system. The fiber we eat feeds our microbiome; if we don’t get adequate fiber in our diet, the possibility exists that a similar destruction of the mucus can take place.

The solution seems simple: eat vegetables, beans, and other fiber-containing foods to strengthen your microbiome and use a fiber supplement as insurance.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet
Reference: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.043

 

What’s Wrong with Processed Foods

/in /by

If you do an Internet search for processed foods, you’ll get a whole lot of opinions on why they’re a bad thing. There isn’t a substantial amount of research behind the opinions when you look closely. In fact, there isn’t a substantial amount of research on processed foods at all and why they’re difficult to resist. Keep in mind that I’m talking about extensive processing; fruits and vegetables that are frozen immediately have been shown to have more nutrients than fresh produce that’s been sitting in the grocery display case for a while, and canned fruits and vegetables are a close second.

What’s the problem with processed foods, other than the fat, sugar, and salt? Two things stick out in my mind. First, the act of processing alters the vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient content of the foods. Whether we’re talking about grains such as wheat or corn, beans such as soy, or dairy such as milk, some if not most nutrients are lost in the processing.

Second, you lose the fiber, and given how little fiber adults get, that might be the most serious loss of a nutrient. Fiber acts as a prebiotic to feed the microbes in our gut and helps with satiety and digestion. Breads, pastas, rolls, bagels, and every other processed food that uses grains come up short.

I’ll add one more to the list: probiotics. Processing destroys the good bacteria and other microbes that are valuable to our health. It isn’t just what we are getting in processed foods that harmful; it’s what we’re not getting that compounds the problem.

What’s the solution? I’ll finish this up on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Getting Rid of Constipation

/in /by

Adults, children, even infants get constipated, and no one likes it. Over time, I developed a combination of nutrients that seems to work for many people—not every person but most. Is it based on absolute science? I would be hard-pressed to say that the research on occasional constipation is definitive. There are over 22,000 citations in PubMed for every type of cause and medication for many types of constipation, but there’s no solid research on occasional constipation. I developed this combination based on the physiology and biochemistry involved, combined with years of experience.

The solution I . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

The Types of Fiber

/in /by

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Let me break each down for you.

Soluble fiber is indigestible carbohydrates from plants; as the name suggests, they dissolve in water. They can actually form a gel-like substance in a glass, if you don’t consume it after mixing with water, or in the small intestine. Examples of foods that contain soluble fiber: psyllium, fruit, oats, barley, and legumes.

Insoluble fiber comes from plant cell walls. It does not dissolve in water but it can add bulk to the stool; that allows it to pass easier. Foods that contain . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.