Fiber is everywhere in our life. There are cotton fibers in clothes and wood fibers in disposable chopsticks. The use of these fibers was discovered by us very early and then widely used. However, dietary fiber found in grains, vegetables and fruits (note 1) has only been considered beneficial to health in recent years.

Dietary fiber is a magical substance, which has no calories and no nutrition.

Chemists say that dietary fiber is carbohydrate, because most dietary fiber is composed of three elements: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. But nutritionists say carbohydrates should be absorbed by the body to form blood sugar. Most dietary fiber can't even be absorbed by human body, so it can't be regarded as qualified carbohydrate.

/On the nutrition labels of some imported foods, dietary fiber is placed under carbohydrates. /

So up to now, dietary fiber does not necessarily have a name on the nutrient composition table.

Nutritionists first thought that dietary fiber could be eaten, but it could not be digested. However, now this view has become? Although dietary fiber can't be digested, it has many benefits to the body? .

There are many kinds of dietary fiber, which can be roughly divided into water-soluble dietary fiber and water-insoluble dietary fiber according to the difference of water absorption. The dietary fiber powder popular in Xiao X's books and the dietary fiber added in slimming milkshakes are basically water-soluble.

Does dietary fiber really have so many magical effects? After careful study, we found that the real function of dietary fiber has the following six points:

1| Increase satiety and delay gastric emptying.

Water-soluble dietary fiber will swell into jelly after absorbing water. With the increase of food volume, the feeling of fullness is enhanced, and at the same time, because it can not be digested and absorbed, the absorption speed of the human body is slowed down, and the gastric emptying speed will also slow down.

/Vegetables and fruits rich in dietary fiber can provide satiety more than other foods. /

2| Prevent blood sugar from fluctuating violently.

Dietary fiber expanded into jelly will reduce the contact area between food and digestive enzymes and slow down the absorption rate, so it will also slow down the rise of blood sugar and prevent blood sugar from fluctuating violently.

In addition, dietary fiber can also improve or even reverse type 2 diabetes by improving intestinal flora, promoting insulin secretion and improving insulin sensitivity. This research result, jointly made by experts from Shanghai Jiaotong University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University, was published in the authoritative journal Science on March 9, 20 18. (Note 4)

3| Reduce cholesterol and blood lipids

Soluble fiber will slow down the body's absorption of food, including fat; At the same time, it will also combine with bile acids to help lower blood lipids and cholesterol. 1992 a study published in the authoritative journal of nutrition proved that dietary fiber intake increased and fecal fat increased. (Note 2)

4| Improve intestinal flora

Although dietary fiber can't be directly absorbed by human body, the prebiotics contained in it can be decomposed by probiotics in the intestine, and become nutrients for their reproduction, thus providing sufficient power for the digestive system. Rich and diverse intestinal flora can form a biological barrier, help the intestine resist harmful bacteria and make the digestive system work in a good environment.

Prevention and treatment of constipation and hemorrhoids

Water-soluble dietary fiber can soften feces, while water-insoluble dietary fiber can increase gastrointestinal peristalsis. Their combined function is to increase the volume of feces, which is soft and easy to discharge, so it has a very good preventive and therapeutic effect on constipation and hemorrhoids.

6| Prevention of colorectal cancer

A high dietary fiber diet, especially one containing a variety of whole grains, can significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, which has been proved by many studies. (Note 3)

The more dietary fiber, the better?

Since dietary fiber has so many benefits, can we eat it freely? Not really! Pay attention to supplement dietary fiber with drinks, snacks and dietary fiber powder!