Fiber, the Ultimate Diet

Based on case studies in clinical settings, increasing the consumption of fiber will produce positive health outcomes. I remember one of my patients that had type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and a BMI over 30. He was taking insulin shots, metformin and a beta-blocker for blood pressure. After a period of two months on a high fiber diet (40 grams of fiber per day), he was able to drop insulin completely, drop to half his medication for diabetes and hypertension, and he lost 14 pounds. The advantage of this plan was that he was not on a diet. In fact, he was eating more than he used to before starting the fiber intervention.


Introduction
Based on case studies in clinical settings, increasing the consumption of fiber will produce positive health outcomes. I remember one of my patients that had type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and a BMI over 30. He was taking insulin shots, metformin and a beta-blocker for blood pressure. After a period of two months on a high fiber diet (40 grams of fiber per day), he was able to drop insulin completely, drop to half his medication for diabetes and hypertension, and he lost 14 pounds. The advantage of this plan was that he was not on a diet. In fact, he was eating more than he used to before starting the fiber intervention.
Dietary fiber intake has many health benefits. With increased consumption, not only are there health-protective effects, but also disease-reversal benefits [1]. Dietary fiber can help with an array of diseases, such as: coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes type 2, obesity, some cancers, and certain gastrointestinal diseases [1][2][3]. Dietary fiber influences these diseases through a variety of ways such as: improving serum lipoprotein values, lowering blood pressure, improving blood glucose control for diabetic individuals, aiding in weight loss and improving regularity [1]. Dennis Burkitt, also called the fiber doctor, used to illustrate the benefits of fiber by saying that the health of a nation could be estimated by considering the average size of the population's stools.
Western countries that adopt a refined or very low fiber diet would have more intestinal diseases and colon cancer than countries where there was a consumption of high fiber foods. According to Burkitt, many gastrointestinal diseases such as diverticulosis and appendicitis were related to constipation because of a low fiber diet [4]. He also claimed that varicose veins, hemorrhoids and deep vein thrombosis were in the same way related to constipation and low fiber intake [5].
A recent meta-analysis displayed a significant dose-response relationship between fiber and coronary heart disease. With increasing amounts of fiber, there was a greater protection against this disease [6]. In addition, another study showed similar results, along with an association with lower inflammation levels with increased amounts of fiber in one's diet. High inflammation levels can also contribute to cardiovascular risk [7]. Dietary fiber influences cardiovascular health, as well as glucose control because of the viscosity of the fiber. When the fiber becomes viscous, it thickens the contents in the lumen of the intestine, which slows the absorption of nutrients, such as cholesterol and sugar. The viscosity also disrupts bile salt reabsorption, which leads to lower cholesterol levels. Furthermore, it can lower glucose response, which can assist in reduced insulin stimulation [8].
Dietary fiber also shows protective benefits towards colon cancer. A meta-analysis showed that there was a reduction in colon cancer by 10% when 10 grams of fiber were incorporated daily. This is mainly attributed to increased fecal bulk and decreased transit time. Through this mechanism, colorectal epithelium is not only exposed to lower concentrations of carcinogens, but for even a shorter period. In addition, short-chain fatty acids, which are produced by fiber in the gut, are beneficial to colonocytes, thus