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The problem with this article are statements about value of "fermentable" fiber without giving any real info about the nature of such fiber. (Except it's not di
by jrapdx3 12y ago
The problem with this article are statements about value of "fermentable" fiber without giving any real info about the nature of such fiber. (Except it's not digested by gut enzymes, hence "leftovers" that colonic organisms may be able to "ferment".)
There are many kinds of dietary fiber, it's actually quite a complex subject. The basic classification of "soluble" and "insoluble" is not very informative. As the article says, there are a great number of different organisms that can inhabit the "biome", each species of bacteria, fungus, virus, etc. has its own preferred substrates, and produces its own particular set of fermentation products.
I believe the research on biome activity is complicated by the vast range of variation among the organisms as well as the sorting out the beneficial or harmful effects of their activity on the host. And of course, we must not forget hosts also show a range of characteristics and are dynamically variable too.
As the article hints, research shows biome effects on many body functions, such as immune system and metabolic function. However, pinning down specifically what substrates are important to which organisms producing helpful/harmful effects is a daunting mission.
It's going to take a great deal more study before we will begin to have any clear idea about exactly which of the million different forms of fiber is going to be good (or bad) for any given health issue.
- gmac 12y agoMore research is always nice, but you can get a long way with the two words I learned as a biological anthropology undergrad: dietary diversity. Eating well isn't rocket science. Eat a wide range of foods. Then you'll very likely hit all the things you need, and not take on harmful amounts of the things you don't. Plus you'll get to enjoy the variety along the way.
- davak 12y agoAs a physician I think the diversity hypothesis should really be challenged. Our guts, microbes, and even genes take a while to change. Is diversity really helpful or harmful? When you study people that live to be very old, many of them eat the same simple things on a daily basis for decades. Anyway, just a personal hypothesis...
- pavedwalden 12y agoAs an interested layman, I've wondered about this myself. Ecosystems take a while to stabilize around local maxima. So, although diversity may prevent you from falling into any particular deficiency, it seems possible that a well balanced diet that remained stable over time would allow your flora to really dial in.
- sten 12y agoYou could also be avoiding potentially harmful substances which a diverse diet might have exposed you to. That they lived into their 90s on the same diet they had in their 20's implies they skipped TV dinners, Aerosol Cheese and McDonalds along the way.
- briantakita 12y agoYet people have had healthy diets long before we had science or awareness of gut microbes. Eating healthy is simple; Let's not overcomplicate it. While reductionism is useful to learn about the constituent parts of a system, let's not forget that we don't know many things & it's ok. In complex systems, it's important is to work with principles. Facts are nice & can be used to fine tune principles, however facts don't create a strategy.