VERY BERRY FIBER WAFERS 120 chewable

The Fiber You Need in a Chewable Tablet


Dietary fiber, the part of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds that we cannot digest, plays an important role in nutrition and health. Dietary fiber has preventive health benefits for many diseases and conditions, including diverticular disease, colon cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Dietary fiber is not a single substance, but a group of substances with similar properties. Cellulose, pectin, gum, lignin and hemicellulose are some of the components of fiber. These components can be divided into two basic types of fiber, the soluble and the insoluble.

Soluble fibers, those which dissolve in water, are found in beans, oats, barley and some fruits and vegetables. These fibers may play a role in lowering blood cholesterol and in the regulation of the body's use of sugar.
The insoluble fibers do not dissolve in water and are found in foods such as wheat bran, whole grains, and vegetables. The insoluble fibers absorb water, thereby increasing intestinal bulk which helps the intestine function properly.
Dietary fiber has been proven to have important health benefits for many conditions, such as diverticular disease, colon cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: Both types of dietary fiber has health benefits for the digestive system. A high-fiber diet helps relieve constipation. Insoluble fiber absorbs water from the system and increases the bulk and softness of the food mass in the intestine. This decreases the time it takes to travel through the digestive tract and makes elimination easier. Soluble fiber appears to delay the digestion and absorption of nutrients and alters the action of the digestive enzymes and hormones.

HEART DISEASE: It has been found that soluble fiber may help reduce heart disease by lowering the cholesterol in some people. As it passes through the intestine, soluble fiber binds to dietary cholesterol, helping the body to eliminate it. Some studies have shown that soluble fiber can slow the liver's production of cholesterol, as well as alter LDL particles to make them less of a health risk. It is common knowledge that a diet high in fiber and low in fat can be an effective approach to reducing the risk of heart disease.

COLON CANCER: A high fiber, low-fat diet may reduce the risk of colon cancer in several ways. Fiber absorbs water, lowering the concentration of potential carcinogenic substances in the intestine. Also, since insoluble fiber speeds up the movement of waste through the intestine, the exposure time to carcinogens is lowered.

Although the National Cancer Institute recommends a daily consumption of 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day, the average American diet contains only 10-15 grams of fiber. For this reason, fiber supplements are becoming increasingly popular.
It is important to remember that increases in dietary fiber should be done gradually. A rapid increase of fiber can cause excess gas formation or diarrhea. Since the water-soluble fibers will absorb water, one should also recognize the importance of drinking at least 6, eight-ounce glasses of water each day to avoid dehydration. Fiber should also be spread out during the day rather than consumed at the same time. One should also remember that certain fiber can bind to minerals and cause their excretion, so mineral supplementation should be considered in people who consume large quantities of fiber on a daily basis.

REFERENCES:
American Dietetic Association, Position of the American Dietetic Association: health implications of dietary fiber, J. Am. Diet Assoc., 97,157-1159, 1997. CRC Handbook of Dietary Fiber in Human Nutrition, Gene A. Spiller (Editor). Papazian, B., Buling up: Fiber's healthful reputation. FDA Consumer, July-August 23-27, 1997. Pilch, S., Physiological Effects and Health Consequences of Dietary Fiber, Bethesda, Maryland: Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; 1987. Oklahoma Diet Manual, 1992, Oklahoma Dietetic Association. Marlett, JA, Dietary fiber and cardiovascular disease. In: Cho SS, Dreher, ML, eds, Handbook of Dietary Fiber, Marcel Dekker, Inc.; 2001, 17-30. Manual of Clinical Dietetics, 1996, American Dietetic Association.