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Posted by: | Posted on: August 20, 2025

Heart Scan Study Finds Low-Fiber Diets Raise Risk of Dangerous Artery Plaque


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/08/19/low-fiber-diets-dangerous-artery-plaque-risk.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     August 19, 2025

low fiber diets dangerous artery plaque risk

Story at-a-glance

  • A heart scan study found that low-fiber diets are strongly linked to dangerous, rupture-prone plaques in people with no diagnosed heart disease
  • Participants with the worst diets had up to 97% higher odds of having soft, unstable plaques, making silent heart attacks far more likely
  • High blood pressure, large waist size, and elevated triglycerides amplified the risk, acting as biological bridges between diet and plaque formation
  • People who looked and felt healthy still had widespread plaque in key heart arteries, showing the damage builds long before symptoms show up
  • Repairing the damage starts with healing your gut, avoiding fermentable fiber until digestion stabilizes, and then reintroducing resistant starches and other fiber that supports anti-inflammatory gut bacteria

You won’t always feel heart disease coming. In fact, many people don’t know there’s a problem until it’s too late. That’s because the real danger often lies in the type of plaque building silently in your arteries, not just how much of it is there.

Soft, unstable plaques, especially the kind that don’t contain calcium, are the most dangerous. They’re more likely to rupture, triggering sudden clots that block blood flow to your heart. These aren’t just rare medical anomalies. They’re increasingly common in people who appear otherwise healthy on the surface.

What drives the formation of these high-risk plaques isn’t random. Diet plays a central role in shaping both the structure and behavior of what accumulates in your arteries. The foods you eat influence inflammation, gut health, metabolic balance, and the stability of the plaque itself. The wrong combination — like low fiber intake, frequent processed meat, and blood sugar instability — creates a perfect storm.

If you’ve been told your blood pressure is “a little high,” your triglycerides are “something to watch,” or you’re just getting older, don’t dismiss those signs. They’re often the red flags of underlying arterial inflammation and metabolic dysfunction that starts in your gut, spreads through your bloodstream, and quietly raises your cardiac risk.

What’s inside your arteries has more to do with what’s on your plate than you might think. Let’s break down what the newest heart scan data reveals, and why the absence of symptoms doesn’t mean the absence of risk.

Low-Fiber Diets Silently Load Your Arteries with Dangerous Plaque

Research published in Cardiovascular Research analyzed coronary artery scans from 24,079 middle-aged Swedish adults with no known cardiovascular disease to find out how dietary habits affect heart plaque.1 Using imaging, researchers were able to not only see the presence of plaque but also assess how dangerous it looked based on its size, structure, and whether it was calcified or soft.

The study focused specifically on how low-fiber diets, marked by high intake of processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages, compared to fiber-rich, plant-heavy diets in relation to plaque risk.

• Those with the worst diets had the most dangerous plaque features — Researchers divided participants into dietary score groups based on their intake of anti-inflammatory foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The lowest-scoring group (those with the poorest diet) had more plaque, more blocked arteries, and higher calcium levels in the arteries compared to those with the best diets.

Even more concerning, this group was also much more likely to have high-risk plaques — soft, unstable deposits that block blood flow and are more likely to rupture. These individuals didn’t just have more buildup; they had the kind of buildup most likely to trigger heart attacks.

• Heart plaque risks rose as diet quality declined — The odds of having dangerous coronary plaque jumped dramatically in those with the lowest diet quality scores. Compared to the healthiest eaters, those in the lowest tier had:

◦23% higher odds of having soft, non-calcified plaques

◦37% higher odds of having calcified plaques with mild artery narrowing

◦67% higher odds of having non-calcified plaques causing major blockage

◦Up to 97% higher odds of having the most dangerous high-risk plaques in unadjusted models

This means you’re significantly more likely to develop the worst kind of plaque just by following a low-fiber, highly processed diet.

• Diet influenced how many segments of the heart had plaque — Researchers also tracked how many segments of the coronary arteries were affected. The worst diets were linked to more widespread plaque, meaning more branches of the heart’s vascular system were impacted. The scan data showed more advanced blockages and greater overall burden among those eating the least fiber-rich foods. The problem wasn’t limited to a single artery. It was systemic.

• Specific arteries were more vulnerable to poor diet — Plaques showed up most often in the right coronary artery and left anterior descending artery — two key areas that supply large portions of the heart. These are the arteries you don’t want compromised. The diet’s impact wasn’t evenly spread across the heart, suggesting some regions are especially vulnerable to poor dietary patterns.

Diet-Driven Plaques Showed Up in People with No Known Heart Problems

One of the most important parts of the study is that all participants were considered “healthy” with no diagnosed heart disease. This means people are walking around with ticking time bombs in their arteries without any clue. They likely feel fine. Their doctor might say everything looks good. But the damage is already underway.2

• Inflammation and diet were directly linked — People with the lowest dietary scores also had the highest levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a common marker of systemic inflammation. This confirms that inflammatory foods don’t just affect your gut or blood sugar — they light a fire in your cardiovascular system that alters how plaques form in your arteries.

• Biggest plaque risks tracked with waist size, blood pressure, and triglycerides — Waist circumference, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides were the strongest links between bad diets and dangerous plaques.

In fact, waist size alone explained up to 56.7% of the increased risk for high-risk plaque types in low-quality diets. Triglycerides explained up to 39.8%, and high blood pressure up to 32.1%. These three markers acted like biological bridges, translating your food choices directly into plaque formation.

• The damage is likely cumulative and starts long before symptoms appear — The findings support the idea that dietary damage builds up slowly and silently. Even small changes in diet quality showed noticeable differences in plaque type and location. And while this was a cross-sectional study, meaning it only took a snapshot in time, the associations were strong enough to suggest that poor diet is a key driver of dangerous, symptomless atherosclerosis.

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How to Repair the Damage and Protect Your Heart with Fiber

You don’t have to guess whether your diet is putting your heart at risk. The damage shows up in your arteries long before you ever feel a symptom. If you’ve been eating a highly processed, low-fiber diet — or struggling with bloating, constipation, or blood sugar swings — it’s time to step back and rebuild your gut and heart health from the ground up.

I’m not going to tell you to just “eat more fiber” and hope for the best. That kind of advice ignores one of the most common problems I see: a damaged gut microbiome that can’t handle fermentable fiber in the first place. You’ve got to fix the root before layering more fiber on top of dysfunction. Here’s where to begin.

1. Start by checking your gut’s current condition — If you regularly feel bloated after meals, struggle with gas, go days without a bowel movement, or swing between constipation and loose stools, your gut is telling you something. These are signs your microbiome is imbalanced, your gut lining is inflamed, or both. Adding a bunch of fiber at this stage is like pouring fuel on a fire.

2. Avoid fermentable fibers until your digestion calms down — You’ve probably heard that fiber “feeds good bacteria,” but that only works if your microbiome is balanced to begin with. When it’s not, fiber feeds the overgrowth, especially oxygen-tolerant bacteria that thrive in a leaky, inflamed gut. That’s the fiber paradox — and it leads to more endotoxin, more inflammation, and even more plaque-promoting damage.

For now, skip the leafy greens, raw vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Focus on easy-to-digest carbs like fruit and white rice. These provide clean fuel that doesn’t ferment too fast or feed the wrong bacteria.

3. Reintroduce the right types of fiber slowly and strategically — Once your bloating has subsided and your digestion becomes more regular, you’ve likely turned a corner. This is your green light to start feeding your fiber-fermenting bacteria again, but only with specific foods, in small doses.

Start with resistant starches like cooked-and-cooled white potatoes, green bananas, or white rice that’s been chilled. These feed butyrate-producing bacteria — the kind that nourish your colon cells, lower inflammation, and promote metabolic health. Then add small amounts of garlic, leeks, and onions, which are rich in prebiotic compounds.

4. Support the bacteria that make butyrate, your gut’s anti-inflammatory fuel — Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) made when fiber is fermented by the right kind of bacteria. It fuels colonocytes (cells that line your colon), tightens your gut barrier, and reduces systemic inflammation — the exact mechanisms that protect your arteries from plaque buildup.

Once you tolerate fermentable fiber, emphasize foods that increase butyrate naturally. That means adding in prebiotic foods slowly, staying consistent, and avoiding things that kill off good microbes like alcohol, vegetable oils high in linoleic acid (LA), and processed junk.

5. Build your tolerance and personalize your fiber intake — Not everyone needs the same amount or type of fiber. If you’re healing from gut damage, your tolerance will change over time. This is where personalization matters. You’ll need to listen to your symptoms and track how you respond to new foods.

Increase variety slowly, one ingredient at a time. Keep portions small at first. If you tolerate cooled potatoes, try a spoonful of lentils. If leeks go down well, try adding cooked organic oats. Give your microbiome time to adjust and rebuild the bacterial species that protect your heart and gut.

Fiber isn’t the enemy, but it’s not always your friend either, especially if your gut is compromised. Get your digestion back on track first, then add in healthy, fiber-rich foods. You’ll not only avoid the kind of plaque that triggers heart attacks — you’ll also feel stronger, lighter, and more stable in the process.

FAQs About Low-Fiber Diets and Heart Health

Q: What did the heart scan study reveal about low-fiber diets?

A: A large Swedish study using advanced heart scans found that people who ate the least amount of fiber and the most processed meat had significantly more dangerous types of plaque in their arteries. These soft, non-calcified plaques are more likely to rupture and trigger heart attacks, even in people without any known heart disease.

Q: Can heart disease develop even if I feel fine and have no symptoms?

A: Yes. The study involved over 24,000 adults who appeared healthy but still had high-risk plaque silently building in their arteries. These individuals had no diagnosed heart conditions, showing that dangerous plaque buildup occurs long before any symptoms appear.

Q: What are the biggest risk factors that made the plaque worse?

A: The worst plaque risks were seen in people with larger waistlines, higher blood pressure, and elevated triglycerides. These markers, especially when combined with a low-fiber, inflammatory diet, acted like biological messengers that translated poor food choices directly into dangerous plaque formation.

Q: Should I just eat more fiber to fix the problem?

A: Not necessarily. If your gut is already damaged, jumping into a high-fiber diet will backfire. You need to check for signs of poor digestion, like bloating, constipation, or loose stools, before adding fermentable fibers. The first step is restoring gut balance with easier-to-digest foods before reintroducing specific fibers in small amounts.

Q: What are the best steps to protect my heart and repair my gut?

A: Start by cutting out inflammatory foods and focusing on simple carbs like fruit and white rice if your digestion is impaired. Once symptoms improve, introduce resistant starches and prebiotic-rich foods slowly. Support the bacteria that produce butyrate — an anti-inflammatory compound that protects your colon and your arteries — by personalizing your fiber intake and staying consistent.

 

Posted in Arteries, Blood Clots, Carbohydrates, Cardiovascular, Fibre, Food, Heart, Inflammation | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: July 20, 2025

Fiber Found in Everyday Foods Helps Remove Forever Chemicals from Your Body


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/07/17/fiber-everyday-foods-remove-forever-chemicals.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     July 17, 2025

Story at-a-glance

  • A specific type of fiber called beta-glucan, found in oats and barley, was shown to reduce levels of harmful PFAS chemicals in the blood within just four weeks
  • Participants who consumed beta-glucan experienced significant drops in legacy PFAS compounds like PFOA and PFOS, which are linked to cancer and hormone disruption
  • The fiber group was the only one to show a meaningful reduction in the seven most high-risk PFAS chemicals identified by the National Academies of Sciences, including those that raise your risk for thyroid disease, cancer and ulcerative colitis
  • In a follow-up study using mice, animals exposed to high PFAS levels but fed beta-glucan had lower blood PFAS, improved fat metabolism and less liver stress compared to controls
  • The key to beta-glucan’s effect is its gel-forming action in your gut, which traps PFAS and interrupts their reabsorption cycle, allowing your body to eliminate them through stool

Most people have no idea they’re carrying around a hidden chemical load that their bodies weren’t designed to handle. But the reality is, we’re living in a world saturated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. These synthetic compounds are engineered to resist heat, water and oil — and they don’t just stay on the surface.

Once these substances enter your bloodstream, they’re incredibly hard to get rid of. That’s why researchers are searching for real, practical solutions. Many believe that detoxing PFAS is a lost cause — that once they’re in your body, they’re in for good. But new evidence suggests otherwise.

It turns out your gut, not your liver or kidneys, is one key to turning this around. And the solution doesn’t involve harsh protocols or extreme diets. It starts with something as simple as how you digest your food — and whether the right kind of fiber is present to help carry these chemicals out.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re dealing with persistent fatigue, inflammation, hormone problems or chronic digestive issues, PFAS could be part of the story. These chemicals hijack your system slowly and silently. But there’s now a realistic path to lowering that burden, and it starts by focusing on what’s happening in your gut.

Four Weeks of Fiber Lowered Toxic PFAS in the Blood

A study published in Environmental Health evaluated 72 adult men with elevated LDL cholesterol who were already enrolled in a trial testing oat beta-glucan’s effects on cholesterol.1

Beta-glucans are a type of soluble fiber found in oats and barley that form a gel-like substance in your gut, helping to trap and remove compounds like bile acids and, as this study explored, PFAS as well. PFAS chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals,” are notoriously hard to remove from the body, so the researchers wanted to know: could a fiber intervention make a dent?

• Participants received either a fiber-rich supplement or a placebo for four weeks — All participants followed the original protocol, consuming either an oat beta-glucan drink (1 gram (g) of beta-glucan and 1.9 g total fiber per serving, three times daily) or a brown rice drink with no active fiber. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after four weeks to measure 17 different PFAS types.

• PFAS levels dropped significantly but only in the fiber group for legacy PFAS — While short-chain PFAS decreased in both groups, likely due to their shorter half-lives, the study found that only the group consuming beta-glucan showed significant reductions in long-chain PFAS known to persist for years in the body.

These included perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) — two of the most studied PFAS compounds, both associated with increased cancer and hormone disruption risks.

• PFAS reductions occurred even in men with exposure levels typical of the general population — Researchers noted that all participants had detectable PFAS levels at the start of the study. The levels of certain PFAS were higher than previously reported in Canadian populations, suggesting rising background exposure. Despite this, the beta-glucan intervention still reduced PFAS levels, showing promise even for people without known occupational or high-dose environmental exposure.

• Only the fiber group saw a drop in the most concerning types of PFAS — These specific PFAS, identified by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), are known to increase the risk for serious health issues like thyroid disease, kidney problems, ulcerative colitis and certain cancers.

If your blood level of these seven PFAS reaches just 2 nanograms per milliliter, doctors are advised to monitor your cholesterol, blood pressure during pregnancy and breast cancer risk. At 20 nanograms per milliliter, the recommendations expand to include regular screening for thyroid disease, testicular cancer and more. In the study, only the fiber group had a meaningful reduction in this high-risk PFAS group.

• The proposed mechanism is the fiber’s ability to trap PFAS in your digestive tract — Researchers believe the gel-forming fiber worked because PFAS share biochemical properties with bile acids — compounds already known to bind to beta-glucan and get flushed out in feces. PFAS and bile acids are both amphipathic, meaning they have both water-loving and fat-loving parts. This allows them to interact with fiber gels and get excreted rather than reabsorbed.

Most PFAS don’t leave your body easily. Once excreted into the bile, they’re typically reabsorbed in your intestine, returning to your liver in a loop. Beta-glucan breaks this cycle by holding PFAS in your gut, giving your body a chance to eliminate them through stool rather than cycling them back into your bloodstream.

Oat Beta-Glucan Helped Mice Eliminate PFAS

In a related study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, researchers from Boston University used mice to examine whether oat beta-glucan could reduce the body’s PFAS load.2 They exposed mice to a mixture of seven PFAS compounds in drinking water while feeding them diets that included either inulin, a non-gel-forming fiber, or oat beta-glucan — a gel-forming fiber.

• Despite drinking more contaminated water, fiber-fed mice had lower PFAS in their blood — The mice fed beta-glucan consumed more PFAS-contaminated water, yet ended up with lower blood levels of some of the most harmful PFAS. This suggests that the fiber helped block reabsorption of PFAS in the gut. In other words, even when these mice took in more of the toxic chemicals, their bodies were better at flushing them out before they could circulate back into the bloodstream.

• Mice on the fiber diet had better fat metabolism and lower liver fat — The beta-glucan-fed mice showed lower liver triglycerides and reduced fat accumulation in the small intestine and fat tissue overall. This matters because PFAS have been linked to metabolic disruption and fatty liver disease. These findings suggest that fiber offers a double benefit: lowering toxic load while improving fat regulation in the body.

• Fiber-fed mice experienced better lipid balance without triggering other stress responses — The researchers also looked at markers of liver stress and detoxification. A key enzyme linked to chemical detox was lower in the fiber-fed group during the cleansing phase, indicating that their bodies were under less toxic stress after PFAS exposure.

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How to Reduce Your PFAS Burden with Targeted Fiber and Smarter Food Choices

If you’re dealing with fatigue, hormone issues or unexplained weight gain, and you’ve already cleaned up your water, cookware and household products, you could be missing the last piece of the puzzle: what’s stuck inside your body. PFAS aren’t just external threats; they’re internal ones too.

Once these forever chemicals get in, they linger for years unless you take direct steps to push them out. Here’s where smart, gut-focused nutrition comes in. The right type of fiber, at the right time, makes a meaningful difference in your toxic load. But timing and your gut’s condition matter. So, if you’re trying to reduce PFAS levels in your system, start here:

1. Check your gut health first — If you regularly feel bloated after meals, go days without a bowel movement or have frequent loose stools, your gut likely isn’t ready for high-fiber foods. Don’t guess — listen to your symptoms. These are signs that your microbiome is imbalanced and your gut lining is inflamed or damaged. For now, avoid complex carbs and stick to simpler ones like fruit and white rice while your gut settles down.

2. Avoid fiber and fermentable carbs if your digestion is impaired — A damaged gut can’t handle even “healthy” foods. Beans, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies and whole grains all ferment quickly and feed the wrong microbes when your gut is compromised. That drives more bloating, inflammation and gas. In this phase, you want fuel that doesn’t backfire — whole fruit and cooked starches that digest cleanly without fermenting too fast.

3. Reintroduce fermentable fibers in small amounts once your gut calms — When your bloating stops and your digestion becomes regular, that’s your green light. Start with resistant starches like cooked-and-cooled white potatoes or green bananas. These feed butyrate-producing bacteria — the kind that protect your gut lining and regulate inflammation. Slowly add in garlic, leeks and onions. Keep portions small and build up as your tolerance improves.

4. Eat foods high in beta-glucans once your gut is stable — Oats and barley contain beta-glucan, which binds to PFAS in your digestive tract and helps your body eliminate them through your stool. Once your digestion is in good shape, make this fiber part of your daily routine. Other good sources include organic rye, maitake and shiitake mushrooms, and seaweed like kombu.

Be mindful of your portions though, as most seaweeds contain polyunsaturated fats, including linoleic acid, which is harmful to your health in excessive amounts. Choose whole, minimally processed forms of beta-glucans whenever possible to get the most benefit.

5. Cut off PFAS exposure at the source — While you work to flush them out, don’t let more in. Use a water filter certified for PFAS. Stop storing food in nonstick containers or wrappers. Replace your nonstick cookware with stainless steel, ceramic or enameled cast iron. Skip stain-resistant treatments on clothes and furniture. PFAS are everywhere, but the more you avoid them now, the less your body has to fight later.

FAQs About Removing PFAS with Fiber

Q: What are PFAS and why are they dangerous?

A: PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, stain-resistant fabrics and firefighting foams. They build up in your blood, liver and fat tissues and don’t easily break down. Long-term exposure has been linked to liver damage, hormone disruption, cancer, immune suppression and infertility.

Q: How do PFAS stay in my body for so long?

A: Once PFAS enter your system, usually through contaminated water or food, they’re reabsorbed in your intestines and recirculated back to your liver in a loop. This recycling is what gives PFAS such long half-lives — many remain in your body for years unless that cycle is broken.

Q: Does fiber really help remove PFAS from my body?

A: Yes. Clinical research in humans and animals has shown that gel-forming fibers like oat beta-glucan bind PFAS in your gut and stop them from being reabsorbed. This allows your body to eliminate them through stool, reducing your overall PFAS burden over time.

Q: Should I add fiber to my diet immediately?

A: Not necessarily. If you have symptoms of gut dysfunction, like bloating, constipation, loose stools or food intolerances, you need to heal your gut first. Starting fiber too soon makes things worse. Begin with simple, low-fiber carbs like whole fruit or white rice, then reintroduce fiber slowly once your digestion stabilizes.

Q: What are the best ways to lower PFAS exposure and support detox?

A: Avoid sources of new PFAS exposure. Use PFAS-certified water filters, stop using nonstick cookware and stain-resistant products, and limit packaged foods. Once your gut is ready, include small amounts of beta-glucan-rich foods like organic oats or barley. Over time, this helps reduce PFAS levels while also improving your gut health and immune resilience.

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Posted by: | Posted on: May 3, 2024

Do You Know How to Store Potatoes?


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/05/03/how-to-store-potatoes.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     May 03, 2024

how to store potatoes

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • When potatoes are chilled, an enzyme breaks down the sucrose (aka sugar) they contain and turns it into fructose and glucose, which combines with the amino acid asparagine to form acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance, when heated
  • Differences between yams and sweet potatoes are their shape, size and color, but most people mistakenly refer to them interchangeably. Few Americans have even tasted true yams, which originated in Africa
  • Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white potatoes, and contain copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as two antioxidant enzymes; due to the anthocyanins, purple sweet potatoes contain three times the antioxidants
  • You can ferment sweet potatoes and purple potatoes as easily as any other vegetable, increasing the nutrition as well as the shelf life

To most, it would seem as if storing certain veggies in a cool place, such as the garage, back porch or even the refrigerator, would be a good idea. It might keep them cooler and help them last longer, right?

Turns out, that’s not how it works with potatoes. When potatoes get chilled, the starch in them turns to sugar and they become tough. They might look OK, but when they’re cooked, they may emit harmful properties that they wouldn’t have, otherwise. They can become not just slightly shrunken and wrinkly, but potentially toxic.

Here’s what happens: When potatoes are chilled, an enzyme known as invertase breaks down the sucrose (aka sugar) they contain and turns it into fructose and glucose, also called dextrose, the main sugar manufactured by your body and your chief source of energy.1

These two sugars, fructose and glucose, combine with the amino acid asparagine in potatoes and form acrylamide when they’re baked, fried or otherwise heated, according a study published in Risk Analysis.2

This doesn’t happen with frozen potatoes, however, because sucrose doesn’t get broken down by very low temperatures. An article from New Scientist explains:3

“Acrylamide is made by something called the Maillard reaction, which browns cooked foods and gives them their pleasing flavor. As sugars and amino acids react together, they produce thousands of different chemicals.

Particularly high levels of acrylamide are found in starchy foods, like potatoes and bread, when cooked at temperatures over 120 [degrees] C. The chemical can also be present in breakfast cereals, biscuits and coffee.”

As a matter of fact, acrylamide forms when potatoes or other starchy foods are browned to the point of charring, or above 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).4 This can be true with baked, grilled, sautéed or roasted starchy veggies, as well as with grains and even coffee.

Acrylamide and How to Avoid It

In 2002, the world learned through the Swedish National Food Authority5 that acrylamide is no longer considered a potential genotoxic carcinogen linked to an increased risk of cancer, but a confirmed cause, something that many experts say they suspected all along.6

Further, acrylamide converts in your body to another compound known as glycamide, which studies show can bind to your DNA and cause mutations. Animal studies indicate that acrylamide does indeed cause several types of cancer.7

However, this may not translate consistently or clearly to humans, according to Emma Shields, formerly from Cancer Research UK, who adds that while it may be difficult to prove the cancer link in people, there’s no guarantee it doesn’t damage human DNA, as well. Lifestyle factors may weigh in on this effect, though, Shields said.8

“It’s important to remember that there are many well-established factors like smoking, obesity and alcohol, which all have a big impact on the number of cancer cases in the U.K.”

Acrylamide can be found in as much as 40% of the calories consumed by the average American, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.9 It’s also a given that most processed foods, because they’ve been subjected to high temperatures, contain acrylamide. Potato chips are a perfect example.

Eating mostly raw vegetables brings you the greatest health benefits, but when you do subject them and other foods to heat, do so at the lowest possible temperatures, cooking them just until done, and avoiding frying, baking or broiling whenever possible. In general, cook at a lower temperature whenever possible.

You can reduce acrylamide formation by soaking raw potatoes in water for 15 to 30 minutes before cooking. And while I don’t normally recommend eating potatoes and other starchy foods such as rice and pasta, chilling them after they’re cooked will turn a portion of them into digestive-resistant starch, which can be beneficial for your gut health. As an example, potato salad may be one of the healthier ways to eat potatoes.

The Acrylamide Cancer Link

Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands conducted an extensive review of 62,573 women between the ages of 55 and 69. When the data was analyzed, the scientists determined that higher intakes of acrylamide were linked to a higher risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer, compared to lower intakes.10

George Alexeeff, Ph.D., former deputy director at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment for California, said his office definitely believes acrylamide is a chemical people should be concerned about, and that if something causes cancer in animals, it would most likely cause cancer in humans, too. According to an interview at Los Angeles Times:11

“The Environmental Protection Agency considers acrylamide potentially so dangerous that it has fixed the safe level for human consumption at almost zero, with a maximum permissible level in drinking water of 0.5 parts per billion.”

Additional studies also indicate that acrylamide in foods can cause cancer. One noted that receptor-positive breast cancer risk is elevated when this toxic compound has been ingested.12

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Yams, Sweet Potatoes and Nutritional Attributes

You may already know that yams and sweet potatoes are two different vegetables, and that neither yams nor sweet potatoes are potatoes at all. The basic differences between yams and sweet potatoes are their shape, size and color, but even grocery stores and recipes often refer to them interchangeably.

Sweet potatoes belong to the Convolvulaceae or morning glory plant family and have two seed leaves, while yams have only one embryonic seed leaf. But they’re both tubers. So, where did the confusion begin?

Sweet potatoes grown in the American south were called nyamis, the African term for “to eat.” The shortened “yam” is still used today.13

Not as sweet, yams come in a bulky, more or less cylindrical shape, with a thin bark-like skin and dry, starchy flesh. They come from the Dioscoreae family of plants related to palms. Because they’re native to Africa, and are also grown in Asia, they’re not common in the U.S. other than in international markets.

Sweet potatoes are sweeter and more moist (although this can vary, too). They’re also elongated with tapered ends and smooth skin in hues varying from beige to orange to purple, and they can grow to a whopping 5 feet in length. The outside skin can be red, purple or brown, and the flesh anywhere from white to yellow to red-orange.

Sweet potatoes, with their yellow-to-orange-hued flesh, contain two important antioxidant enzymes: copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and catalase. The dark flesh color also indicates the presence of beta-carotene, another important antioxidant, which is converted by your body to vitamin A to retinol to help protect your eyesight.

But the purple sweet potato variety contains more than three times the antioxidant power due to anthocyanins, also related to their pigmentation, which help fight several types of cancer, including stomach, colon, lung and breast.14 Nutrition Facts notes:15

“Most recently, sweet potato proteins were tried on colorectal cancer cells, one of our most common and deadly cancers.

Normally, we just surgically remove the colon, but that only works in the early stages since there are often ‘micrometastases’ outside the colon that can subsequently lead to cancer recurrence and death …

So, we’ve been searching for anti-metastatic agents. Not only does sweet potato protein slow down the growth of colon cancer cells, but it may also decrease cancer cell migration and invasion.”

White Potatoes and Purple Potatoes

Both yams and sweet potatoes are noted as better for you than regular white potatoes, mostly due to the increased antioxidants and fiber content.

But just like white potatoes, they should be stored loosely (not in plastic) in a dark, dry spot at around 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but not cold and never refrigerated. Raw sweet potatoes don’t freeze well.16

The flavor of any potato, whether it’s white, purple or sweet, can be adversely affected when they’ve been stored in cold places.

One reason potatoes have such a reputation for being unhealthy for you is because so many of them are made into incredibly unhealthy, greasy fries. In fact, the average American eats around 29 pounds every year!17

In their unprocessed form, white potatoes provide nutrients such as vitamin C, copper, B vitamins, potassium, manganese, phosphorus and fiber, along with antioxidant phytonutrients. I’m not normally a fan of potatoes, especially if eaten in excess. But they do have some healthy attributes, especially if they’re organic and you eat the peel. According to nutrition group the George Mateljan Foundation:18

“Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals.”

If you’re healthy, eating white potatoes in moderation is OK, but there are healthier sources of many of the nutrients potatoes provide. Then there are purple potatoes from the Solonaceae (nightshade) family, also high in antioxidants, a fact that’s hinted in both the skin and flesh color. For centuries, the purple in purple potatoes was used as a dye for textiles and even to color other food.

More Benefits of Eating Purple Potatoes

Eating purple potatoes has numerous health benefits. A 100-gram serving contains 1.54 grams of protein, 3.1 grams of fiber, 337 milligrams of potassium, 30 milligrams of calcium and numerous other vitamins and minerals.19 They’re high in fiber and are also easy to digest; plus, they contain valuable electrolytes and help prevent low potassium.20 Additionally, they:

• May help lower and regulate your blood pressure, due to the effect they have on capillaries and blood vessels.21 The potassium content in them also helps in this regard, as higher intakes have been linked to lowered blood pressure.22

The research also revealed that purple potatoes lowered diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number on a blood pressure reading) by 4.3% and the systolic reading (the top number) blood pressure by 3.5%.

• May help reduce the risk of blood clots — Thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death throughout the world, but purple potato consumption can help, due in part to the chlorogenic acid, which may break down blood clots and prevent the enzymatic activity of procoagulant proteins and peptides.

One study showed that chlorogenic acid delayed blood clot development in mice, which suggests it could be used to treat blood clots and possibly prevent them.23

• Contain over-the-top levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients — These help fight disease by lowering inflammation, especially due to the anthocyanins and their ability to zap free radicals. Traditional medicine used these compounds to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and liver dysfunction and help prevent eye diseases and infections.24

• Contain colon-cleansing fiber — You could say fiber is the ultimate cleansing system because it is what helps move food through your system and out of your body. This can prevent constipation and promote regularity, among other benefits. Potatoes, both white and purple, contain soluble and insoluble fiber, just like nuts, beans and other vegetables such as cauliflower and green beans.25

Fermenting Vegetables, Including Sweet and Purple Potatoes

There are lots of ways to prepare both sweet potatoes and purple potatoes. The important thing is to avoid using unhealthy oils and high temperatures in the preparation. That said, you can ferment these veggies as easily as any other to retain optimal vitamins and minerals, and give your body the beneficial microbes it needs. Fermenting vegetables also adds greatly to the amount of time they can be stored.

Mixing sweet potatoes or purple potatoes with other veggies such as cabbage, beets and celery, helps create an excellent base, as well as flavor. Herbs and spices, such as basil and rosemary, add a deeper flavor profile. Fermenting your own veggies is simple and enjoyable, and you’ll know exactly what’s in them. If you’d like to give fermented sweet potatoes a try, a tasty fermented veggie recipe follows:

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized heads of cabbage
  • 3 1/4 pounds of carrots
  • 1/3 of a red bell pepper
  • 1 medium-sized sweet potato
  • 1/2 bunch of golden beats
  • Half of a Granny Smith apple
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • 1/2 bunch of cilantro
  • 4 inches of ginger root, grates
  • 1 head of garlic, grated
  • Starter culture, such as Kinetic Culture
  • Himalayan salt or celery juice

Procedure

  1. Chop or shred your veggies.
  2. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp. of Himalayan salt to a quart of filtered or distilled water (an equal amount of celery juice can be used in place of the salt/water mixture) and one pre-measured packet of Kinetic Culture for every quart of veggies.
  3. Pack the veggies into a wide-mouth canning jar, pressing down to eliminate air pockets.
  4. Top with a cabbage leaf, tucked down over the top to make sure the veggies are completely immersed.
  5. Cap loosely (don’t tighten down too hard) to allow gases to be released, then keep the jar in a warm place at 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 to 96 hours.

 

 

 

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Posted by: | Posted on: March 26, 2024

Prunes or Plums — Which Has More Benefits?


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/03/22/prunes-or-plums.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     March 22, 2024

prunes or plums

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Once known as prunes, dried plums are now the more palatable name for the fruit that, whether fresh or dried, contains numerous compounds that impart amazing health advantages
  • Studies show that a single serving or about five dried plums may help prevent bone loss in older, osteopenic postmenopausal women
  • Plums are loaded with flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants, primarily lutein and cryptoxanthin, as well as neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid, but the nutrients are highly concentrated in the dried fruits
  • The vitamin C is destroyed when plums are dried, but they become significantly higher in other antioxidants and contain significantly higher concentrations of most of the other nutrients found in the fresh fruit

If you know anyone with osteoporosis, you may be familiar with some of the more overt signs, such as broken bones, weak grip strength or back pain. People with this condition may develop a “stooped” posture or even become shorter because their bones are literally being compressed.

There’s good news, though, as a study revealed dramatic and positive effects from dried plums. Scientists found that “dried plum not only protects against but more importantly reverses bone loss in two separate models of osteopenia,” another name for bone loss and the forerunner of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis affects both males and females, although more women than men. One study describes it as a “debilitating disorder” exacerbated by age:

“As the demographic shift to a more aged population continues, a growing number of men and women will be afflicted with osteoporosis and a search for potential non-pharmacological alternative therapies for osteoporosis is of prime interest.

Aside from existing drug therapies, certain lifestyle and nutritional factors are known to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Our [three]-month clinical trial indicated that the consumption of dried plum daily by postmenopausal women significantly increased serum markers of bone formation, total alkaline phosphatase, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and insulin-like growth factor-I by 12, 6, and 17%, respectively.”1

Ironically, several drugs taken for osteoporosis taken for five years or more have been shown to actually cause esophageal cancer, according to an Oxford study.2 However, in exploring non-pharmacological alternative therapies, researchers discovered dried plums may not only protect against, but reverse, the condition.

Researcher Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ph.D., from Florida State University, said that over his entire career, he’d examined many fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries and raisins, but none of them come close to having the effe

ct on bone density that dried plums or prunes have.

He added that in terms of bone health, this particular food is exceptional.3 Studies show that a single serving of dried plums may help prevent bone loss in older, osteopenic postmenopausal women as well as the previous recommendation of two servings, equating 100 grams or eight to 10 dried plums.4

Plum History and Description

Closely related to apricots, peaches and almonds, plums are an ancient fruit that experts believe may have originated in China, but were cultivated by Alexander the Great in Mediterranean regions by around 65 B.C.

Plums are about the size of limes, but that’s the only similarity. They’re dark purple (some have a golden tinge) with smooth, rather dull skins and sweet, delectable flesh inside, wrapped around a single, large pit, the main criteria for a drupe. Prunes are simply dried plums, the latter name thought to be more palatable.

All prunes are plums, but the reverse is not always the case. The high sugar content in plums allows them to be dried without fermentation. Further, like all dried fruit, dried plums are dehydrated by natural-drying, sun-drying and the use of dehydrators. Medical Daily clarifies:

“So if dried plums are just plums with the water taken out of them, why do they lower our colon cancer risk while fresh plums don’t? Not only does dried plum retain both soluble and insoluble fiber from its original form, but it also contains more sorbitol than fresh plums.”5

Far more than just a tasty snack, these juicy little fruits are loaded with flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants, primarily lutein and cryptoxanthin, as well as neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid, which can help prevent cell damage from oxidation of lipid molecules.

All cell membranes, including those in your brain, are mainly composed of fat-containing lipids, found to inhibit LDL cholesterol oxidation and making them a significant factor in helping prevent chronic disease.6

A Comparison of Nutritional Attributes Between Plums and Prunes

Plums contain 26% of the reference dietary intake (RDI) in vitamin C; 13% in vitamin K; and 11% in vitamin A, or retinol, as well as iron, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin and calcium, plus vitamin B6 and niacin to metabolize one of their most serious drawbacks: high natural sugar and carbohydrate content.

As for prunes, a 1-cup serving gives you 87% of the RDI of vitamin K. The Guardian notes that soluble fiber helps slow down the absorption of glucose, which stabilizes blood sugar levels.7

Because prunes are a concentrated source of the nutrients and phytonutrients found in plums, their antioxidant potential is six times that of the fresh fruit. Prunes are also significantly higher in antioxidants than many other dried or fresh fruits or vegetables. Comparing the two, Healthy Eating observes:

“Although most of the vitamin C in plums is destroyed during the drying process, prunes contain significantly higher concentrations of most of the other nutrients found in the fresh fruit.

One cup of pitted prunes provides 129 percent, 36 percent, 27 percent and 9 percent of the daily recommendations for vitamin K, potassium, vitamin A and iron, respectively. Vitamin K is vital to the function of several proteins involved in blood coagulation, and vitamin A promotes healthy vision.”8

These vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients have several benefits throughout your entire body, including your skin and improved vision due to the high iron, of which a deficiency can cause hair loss.

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Fiber: Good for Gut Health and Colorectal Cancer Prevention

Bone health isn’t the only benefit of this oft-neglected fruit, though. Studies indicate dried plums can lower your risk of colon cancer.

One factor that helps give plums and prunes such high marks in this category is fiber, crucial for moving food along smoothly through your colon for elimination, but also the natural chemicals sorbitol and isatin, both helpful for relieving constipation. These three ingredients are why prunes have the (earned) reputation as a laxative. Media outlet Chatelaine notes that fiber:

“Helps to … [optimize] cholesterol by soaking up excess bile in the intestine and then excreting it. Bile is made from cholesterol in the liver in order to digest fat.

When the body excretes bile along with the fiber from prunes and plums, the liver must use cholesterol in the body to make more bile thereby lowering the amount in circulation in the body. Soluble fiber may also inhibit the amount of cholesterol manufactured by the liver in the first place.”9

Plums contain 2 grams of fiber in a 1-cup serving, which also helps produce beneficial gut microbiota. One of the big differences between fresh and dried plums is that the dried version contains 12 grams of fiber, which, compared to fresh plums, is about half of the RDI needed for an entire day (although I believe about 50 grams per 1,000 calories consumed is ideal).

According to Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, prunes are even more effective than psyllium as a laxative.10 Plus, the sorbitol pulls moisture into your digestive tract to help bring about a bowel movement.11 That’s where its effectiveness as a colorectal cancer preventive comes in.

More Benefits From Plums and Prunes

An online resource called Colon Cleansing and Constipation recommends stewed prunes to alleviate constipation, or infrequent bowel movements. Eating them regularly can help prevent subsequent stomach pain and hemorrhoids. All of these can become serious enough to necessitate surgery.

Aside from skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. It encompasses both rectal and colon cancer, which together have stricken around 140,000 people in the U.S., and more than 50,000 die from it every year, according to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.12

Medical Daily mentioned one study that found eating dried plums can help lower your risk for colon cancer by maintaining good gut bacteria in your colon, adding that “a diet high in [certain] red meats can increase colon cancer risk while a diet high in fruits … [and] vegetables … can reduce colon cancer risk.”13

A FASEB Journal study backed up the gut bacteria benefit, noting that their data supported their initial hypothesis:

“Diet is known to alter metabolism and composition of colon microbiota, which has major implications for disease prevention and treatment … The hypothesis tested by this experiment was that consumption of dried plums would promote retention of beneficial microbiota and patterns of microbial metabolism throughout the colon, and that by doing so would reduce colon cancer incidence.”14

Fructose in Plums and Prunes

It takes around 4 pounds of fresh plums to produce 1 pound of dried plums, and both are very versatile. You can chop them up to add to raw grass fed yogurt, blend them in smoothies and shakes and add them to salads and vegetable dishes. In fact, just about anything you use raisins for, prunes are a tasty, healthy alternative.

Eating plums and prunes may also help alleviate problems related to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. However, whether it’s fresh plums or dried prunes you crave, make sure you consume these in moderation, as they both contain high amounts of sugar. Nutritionist Anshul Jaibharat cautions:

“Prunes are high in natural sugar, so too many may not be good for people watching their weight. After all, excess of anything is stored as fat in your body. Prunes have such high nutritional values ensuring that you can eat just one piece and still gain measurable nutrients.”15

However, the sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol, is not a source of ethanol, the substance found in alcoholic beverages. It’s a natural substance found in many fruits and vegetables, and is about 50% as sweet as sugar.16

Plums are often used to make the French form of Armagnac, a quickly distilled version of cognac with a raw, earthy body. They also end up soaked in brandy for several desserts, including brûlée. The sugar (and, for the former, alcohol) content in these, however, is considerable and outweighs the nutritional benefits that the fruit provides.

Additionally, prune juice is often loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and, even if it’s not, will still be a significant source of fructose without the fiber benefits, so be aware that consuming the whole fruit is preferable.

Posted in Cancer, Cholesterol, Fibre, Food, Fructose, Hair, Iron, Sugar, Vitamins | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: October 24, 2023

What Are the Keys to Optimal Digestion?


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/10/23/optimal-digestion.aspx
The original Mercola article may not remain on the original site, but I will endeavor to keep it on this site as long as I deem it to be appropriate.

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     October 23, 2023

optimal digestion

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • 60 million to 70 million Americans suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disease and nearly 40% were prevented from participating in routine activities due to bowel problems in the last year. Chronic constipation affects an estimated 63 million Americans, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects about 20% of the population
  • Proper digestion is required to break down food into nutrients your body can use for energy, growth and repair. Poor digestion can have a serious impact on your health as your metabolism and energy production become impaired
  • Chewing slowly helps break down your food faster, and saliva, which contains an enzyme called lingual lipase to help break down fats, helps when you swallow. The longer you chew, the more time those enzymes have to start breaking down your food. Eating slowly also lowers your risk for cardiometabolic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke
  • Physical activity, such as walking, helps optimize gut motility and promotes peristalsis, the rhythmic contraction of your digestive muscles that move the food through your small and large intestines. A 2022 meta-analysis found that as little as a two-minute walk within an hour to an hour-and-a-half after each meal can improve your digestion and cardiometabolic health
  • Acid reflux is typically caused by a deficiency in stomach acid, not excess. The lower esophageal sphincter is pH sensitive and only closes when there’s a sufficient amount of acid in your stomach

Digestive problems are incredibly common. According to a 2022 survey1 by the American Gastroenterological Association, some 60 million to 70 million Americans suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disease and nearly 40% stopped routine activities due to bowel problems in the previous year.

Data2 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases confirm these sad statistics. Chronic constipation, for example, affects an estimated 63 million Americans, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects about 20% of the population.

Proper digestion is important because it breaks down food into nutrients your body can use for energy, growth and repair. Poor digestion, therefore, can have a serious impact on your health, especially in the long term, as your metabolism and energy production become impaired. Let me review a few important fundamentals for optimizing your digestion.

Fundamentals: Chew Your Food

Research3 on gut transit times shows food will remain in your stomach anywhere from 0.4 to 15.3 hours before entering your small intestine. It typically takes 3.3 to seven hours for food to pass through the entire small intestine, and whatever is left over that your body could not absorb or use is passed down to your large intestine, where it can remain for 15.9 to 28.9 hours before being expelled into your toilet bowl.

Foods rich in fiber, protein, complex carbs and fats take longer to digest than processed foods, which are deficient in these nutrients. Several lifestyle factors can also affect gut transit time, starting with chewing.

Chewing slowly helps with the mastication-to-digestion process, starting in your mouth. Chewing more slowly helps break down your food faster, and saliva, which contains an enzyme called lingual lipase to help break down fats, helps when you swallow.

The longer you chew, the more time those enzymes have to start breaking down your food. The process makes digestion easier on your stomach and small intestine, because digestion takes a lot of energy. Slowing down makes it easier for your intestines to absorb the nutrients.

One study4 demonstrated this point well: When study participants ate almonds quickly and chewed less (10 times, as opposed to 25 times or 40 times per bite), their bodies failed to take in all the nutrients almonds have to offer; the bits simply passed through largely undigested.

While I am no fan of eating almonds, the study does demonstrate that for those who chewed the most, the particles (hence the nutrition) were absorbed faster.

Chewing slowly and methodically — even thoughtfully — also helps you relax, and this too is important, as stress and anxiety slow motility and reduce blood flow to your gastrointestinal tract. Stress activates the fight-or-flight system, which suppresses digestion in the stomach and small intestine, while stimulating evacuation from the large intestine.

So, if you’re frequently eating on the go, at your desk or in a rush, you may want to reconsider. Making sure you’re relaxed while eating and that you’re chewing your food well are foundational strategies for optimizing your digestion.

Fast Eaters Are at Higher Risk for Metabolic Syndrome

People who wolf down their food in a rush are also at increased risk for cardiometabolic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke, as evidenced in a Japanese study.5

The study involved 1,083 healthy male and female participants, mean age 51.2 years, who were followed for five years. The participants were divided into three groups, categorized as slow, normal or fast eaters. Over the five years, fast eaters were nearly two times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome compared to their slow-eating cohorts. As reported by the authors:6

“The incidence rates of metabolic syndrome among slow, normal and fast-eating participants were 2.3, 6.5 and 11.6%, respectively. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio for incidence of metabolic syndrome in the fast-eating group compared to the normal and slow group was 1.89 …

Eating speed was significantly correlated with weight gain, triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) components of metabolic risk factors …

Conclusions: Eating speed was associated with obesity and future prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Eating slowly may therefore indicated to be a crucial lifestyle factor for preventing metabolic syndrome …”

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The Impact of Physical Activity

Exercise is another foundational lifestyle aspect that can impact your digestion. Physical activity, such as walking, helps optimize gut motility and promote peristalsis, the rhythmic contraction of your digestive muscles that move the food through your small and large intestines. Frequent inactivity slows everything down and contributes to constipation.

As little as a two-minute walk within an hour to an hour-and-a-half after each meal can improve your digestion and cardiometabolic health.

According to a 2022 meta-analysis and systematic review,7 even as little as a two-minute walk within an hour to an hour-and-a-half after each meal can improve your digestion and cardiometabolic health.

Similarly, a 2015 meta-analysis8 found that low-intensity exercise such as walking after meals was associated with faster gastric emptying. High-intensity exercise, meanwhile, was associated with slower gastric emptying, so more is not better in this case.

2020 research9,10 also found that walking more in general (not necessarily after meals) helped improve IBS symptoms, such as bloating, and reduced their severity.

Digestive Enzymes to the Rescue

For proper digestion, nutrient absorption and elimination, you also need digestive enzymes. When you don’t have enough of these enzymes, or your body doesn’t release them appropriately, you won’t be able to break down certain foods (depending on the enzyme lacking).

When you swallow food, it first enters the upper portion of your stomach. Here, any enzymes inherent in the food itself start to activate, helping to break the food down. As you might expect, the more the food can be broken down here, in the first stage of your gastrointestinal tract, the less labor intensive the digestive process will be later on.

The pH in this upper stomach portion typically ranges from 4 to 6, i.e., slightly acidic. As food enters your stomach, proton pumps lining the lower pyloric part of your stomach starts pumping in hydrochloric acid, and it does this in proportion to the amount of food that you eat. The more food you put in, the more hydrochloric acid is being pumped in to help break down and liquefy that food.

Importantly, hydrochloric acid does not actually help you digest your food. Rather, it activates an enzyme called pepsin, a proteolytic enzyme that helps digest protein. In this lower section of your stomach, the pH ranges from 2 to 4.

As the food is liquefied, it starts dripping into the duodenum, the upper part of your small intestine, triggering your pancreas to secrete alkaline bicarbonates, thereby neutralizing the acidity. The pH of your small intestine typically ranges from 8 to 9.

Pancreatic enzymes are also released, which continue the process of breaking the food down into even smaller constituent parts. In summary, digestion can occur in three areas — your upper stomach, lower stomach and small intestine — and your food choices can significantly influence where and how well digestion occurs in these areas.

Enzyme supplements can influence digestion in each of these areas, and help optimize assimilation and elimination of the foods you eat. There are five primary digestive enzymes, each designed to help break down different types of food:

  • Protease, which breaks down protein
  • Amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates, sugars and starches
  • Lipase, which breaks down fats
  • Lactase, which breaks down milk sugar (lactose) in dairy products
  • Sucrase, which breaks down sucrose sugars

Often, taking a blend of enzymes is beneficial, as no single enzyme can perform all the necessary functions throughout your digestive tract. That said, if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, no gallbladder or gallbladder dysfunction, and/or obesity, you may benefit from higher levels of lipase in particular. Also, avoid fluoridated water, as fluoride inhibits production of lipase and protease11 — enzymes that break down fats and protein.

Skip the Antacids

If you suffer from digestive reflux, don’t rely on over-the-counter (OTC) antacids (acid neutralizers) or prescription proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Inhibiting acid production is the last thing you want to do in this situation.12

Acid reflux occurs when contents from your stomach back up into your esophagus, causing stomach acid to irritate the lining of your esophagus. Other common names for this condition include acid indigestion, acid regurgitation, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Because stomach acid is involved, and the word “acid” connotes the idea of “burning,” it’s commonly believed that excess stomach acid is the problem. Indeed, the entire antacid industry is built around this idea. Unfortunately, that’s completely backward.

Acid reflux is typically caused by a deficiency in stomach acid, not excess. This makes perfect sense once you realize that the lower esophageal sphincter is pH sensitive and only closes when there’s a sufficient amount of acid in your stomach.13 When low acid is not the cause of heartburn, the culprit can be any of the following:

A hiatal hernia — The hernia basically forces the LES open, allowing gastric juices to back up into your throat14
Helicobacter pylori infection15 — One 2012 study found 82.5% of GERD patients tested positive for H. pylori infection16
Obesity17
Smoking, by interfering with the LES function18
Certain medications can relax the LES, including bronchodilators, calcium channel blockers (blood pressure meds), valium, nitroglycerine and opioids19
Foods, including fats, chocolate, caffeinated beverages, peppermint and spearmint, sugar, onions, and alcohol can also weaken the LES20
Foods that irritate your stomach can trigger reflux — Common irritants include citrus fruits, tomato, spicy foods, carbonated beverages, coffee, and high-lectin foods21

In all these cases, the solution is to address the underlying problem, which would be to fix the hernia, treat the H. pylori infection, lose weight, quit smoking, minimize use of the offending drug (be sure to discuss alternatives with your doctor) and not eating the foods that are causing your LES to relax or that irritate your stomach.

OTC antacids and PPIs are entirely the wrong approach, regardless of the underlying cause, because none of the underlying causes of acid reflux have anything to do with excess stomach acid.

Natural Remedies for Treating Occasional Reflux Problems

Again, stomach acid serves several important functions, such as breaking down proteins, killing ingested pathogens, ensuring optimal nutrient absorption, and regulating the rest of the digestion process. If you use acid-blockers, you’re compromising your entire digestive system.

So, if you suffer from occasional heartburn, indigestion, and other minor reflux symptoms, forgo the PPIs and OTC antacid medications and try one or more of the following nondrug alternatives instead:22,23,24,25,26

Aloe juice — The juice of the aloe plant naturally helps reduce inflammation, which may ease symptoms of acid reflux. Drink about one-half cup of aloe juice before meals. To avoid its laxative effect, look for a brand in which the laxative component has been removed.
Apple cider vinegar (raw, unfiltered) — Take 1 tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water before or directly after meals.
Astaxanthin — When compared to a placebo, this potent antioxidant was found to reduce symptoms of acid reflux, especially for individuals with pronounced H. pylori infection.27 The researchers concluded a daily dose of 40 mg of astaxanthin was effective for reflux reduction.
Baking soda — One-half to 1 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in an 8-ounce glass of water, or orange juice, will help neutralize your stomach acid and ease the burn of acid reflux. While I do not advise this as an ongoing remedy, it is effective on an “emergency” basis when you are in excruciating pain.
Ginger root — Ginger has a gastroprotective effect by suppressing H. pylori. It also accelerates gastric emptying which, when impaired, contributes to heartburn. Add two or three slices of fresh ginger root to 2 cups of hot water and let it steep for several minutes. Drink it about 20 minutes prior to your meal.
Sauerkraut — Consuming sauerkraut or cabbage juice will stimulate your body to produce stomach acid.
Glutamine — The amino acid glutamine has been shown to address gastrointestinal damage caused by H. pylori. Glutamine is found in many foods, including beef, chicken, dairy products, eggs, fish and selected fruits and vegetables. L-glutamine is widely available as a supplement.
Ripe papaya or a papain supplement — Papaya contains papain, an enzyme useful for breaking down both protein and carbohydrates.
Fresh pineapple or bromelain supplement — Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapple that helps digest proteins.
Pepsin supplement — Like bromelain, pepsin is a proteolytic enzyme involved in protein digestion.28
Betaine HCI supplement — Betaine HCl is the hydrochloride salt of betaine, not to be confused with betaine or trimethylglycine (TMG). As noted in a 2020 review paper:29 “… the most common recommendation for the use of betaine HCl supplements is usually implemented using an empirical test for low stomach acid whereby increasing doses of betaine HCl are given during sequential meals until such time as an uncomfortable sensation is noticed by the patient.

Along with improvements in symptoms of dyspepsia (or laboratory analysis of improved protein digestion), the lack of side-effects acts is an empirical confirmation that low gastric acid production was contributing to poor digestion and/or dyspeptic symptoms.”
Bitters — Bitters have a long history of use in herbal medicinal traditions to promote digestion and/or to relieve digestive complaints.30
Slippery elm — Slippery elm coats and soothes your mouth, throat, stomach and intestines, and contains antioxidants that may help address inflammatory bowel conditions. Because it stimulates nerve endings in your gastrointestinal tract, it is useful for increasing mucus secretion, which has a protective effect against ulcers and excess acidity.
Vitamin D — Vitamin D is important for your gut health. Once your vitamin D levels are optimized, you will benefit from your body’s production of about 200 antimicrobial peptides that will help eradicate gut infections.
Zinc — Your stomach needs zinc to produce stomach acid, so make sure your body has the necessary raw ingredients. The recommended daily amount for adults is 8 to 11 mg. Zinc rich foods include oysters, lobster, beef, cashew nuts, beans and raw yogurt.31

Talk to Your Doctor About Getting Off PPIs

If you’re currently on a PPI, I strongly recommend working with your doctor to wean off it, as inhibiting stomach acid can raise your risk of other, far more serious health conditions, including:32

Asthma Depression
Gallbladder disease Migraines
Macular degeneration Osteoporosis
Autoimmune conditions, including but not limited to Celiac disease, Type 1 juvenile diabetes, Grave’s disease (hyperthyroid), lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis

The best and safest way to do that is to work with your doctor to lower the dose you’re taking while simultaneously implementing the following lifestyle modifications:

  • Avoid reflux triggers and/or any food that irritates your stomach
  • Avoid processed foods and sugar
  • Eat a Mediterranean diet, focused on fruits, healthy fats, lean meats, nuts and vegetables. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery found a Mediterranean diet was as effective as PPIs in treating acid reflux symptoms33
  • Reseed your gut with beneficial bacteria from traditionally fermented foods or a high-quality probiotic supplement
  • Thoroughly chew each bite of food

Once you get down to the lowest dose of the PPI, you can start substituting with an over-the-counter H2 blocker like Pepcid (famotidine) which appears to be the safest of all the options out there. Then, gradually wean off the H2 blocker over the next several weeks.

Other medications are also notorious for slowing down digestion and causing constipation. Opiates and anticholinergic drugs, for example, suppress involuntary muscle movements, thereby inhibiting peristalsis, so if your digestion is impaired and you’re on either of these drugs, you may want to discuss alternatives to these drugs with your doctor as well.

Posted in Carbohydrates, Enzymes, Fat, Fibre, Food, Gut, Protein | One Comment »

Posted by: | Posted on: September 19, 2023

Ancient Source of Fiber Grows Popular for Shedding Pounds


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/09/18/psyllium-husk.aspx
The original Mercola article may not remain on the original site, but I will endeavor to keep it on this site as long as I deem it to be appropriate.

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     Fact Checked     September 18, 2023

psyllium husk

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Psyllium husk, which comes from Plantago ovata, a plant native to Asia, has been used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine for centuries
  • This ancient digestive aid has begun trending among a new generation — one that grew up watching their parents down psyllium-husk powder and water to stay regular
  • Psyllium husk is a far safer alternative to weight loss drugs like semaglutide, more popularly known as Ozempic
  • A comprehensive review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners found psyllium decreased body weight, body mass index and waist circumference in overweight and obese individuals
  • Known for its appetite-reducing effects, psyllium husk also relieves constipation and may be useful for supporting heart and cardiometabolic health

Organic, whole husk psyllium is an excellent fiber supplement, especially when taken two hours after a meal with a full glass of water. This ancient digestive aid has also started trending among a new generation — one that grew up watching their parents down psyllium-husk powder and water to stay regular.1

But there’s something to be said for psyllium husks — not in commercially available orange-flavored products but in their minimally processed, whole-husk form.

The seeds, which come from Plantago ovata, a plant native to Asia, have been used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine2 for centuries and now its many benefits are being realized by those using for weight loss, gluten-free baking and a host of uses in between.

Psyllium Husk Embraced by the Ozempic Crowd

With both soluble and insoluble fiber, psyllium husk is often used as an appetite suppressant among those looking to lose weight. The New York Times reported:3

“Mr. [Max] Wittek, 33, a software engineer in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who recently went on a ketogenic diet, has used psyllium husks to make his cauliflower-based pizza crust more filling.” Psyllium, he said, “shushes my belly from saying, ‘Please put something in me.’”

It’s a far safer alternative to weight loss drugs like semaglutide, more popularly known as Ozempic. The demand for medications promising easy weight loss has skyrocketed, with prescriptions rising 2,082% from 2019 to 2022.4 Sales of psyllium-husk products are also on the rise, with 249 such products released in the U.S. from 2018 to 2022.5

When you add water to psyllium, it forms a viscous gel that’s not digested or fermented in the body. In the small intestine, psyllium increases the viscosity of chyme — a semi-fluid mix of partially digested food, fluid and stomach acid — which slows absorption and degradation of nutrients.6

A comprehensive review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners found psyllium decreased body weight, body mass index and waist circumference in overweight and obese individuals. “Gel-forming nonfermented psyllium fiber, dosed just before meals, is effective in facilitating weight loss in overweight and obese participants,” the team concluded.7

Known for its appetite-reducing effects, a separate study comparing psyllium husk to the weight loss drug orlistat in mice found both treatments had a similar effect on controlling body fat rate, but psyllium worked better to reduce triglyceride levels.8

Among obese or overweight children and adults, as well as those with metabolic syndrome, daily consumption of psyllium was also found to improve blood lipid profiles and glycemic response, while increasing satiety and improving metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk factors.9

Why You Should Try Natural Strategies, Not Ozempic

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic are all the rage, but their growing list of significant side effects — not to mention their high costs — has people seeking out safer, more natural options like psyllium. This is good news, since semaglutide, sold under the name Ozempic as a diabetes drug and, in a higher dose, under the name Wegovy as a weight loss drug, can also lead to debilitating side effects, including stomach paralysis.

Gastroparesis, or delayed gastric emptying,10 slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine. This results in feeling full longer, which is one mechanism semaglutide uses to cause weight loss. However, gastroparesis also leads to nausea, vomiting and, in severe cases, dehydration and malnutrition. Diabetes is the most commonly known cause of gastroparesis, due to nerve damage in the stomach.11

However, semaglutide and similar drugs are designed to delay gastric emptying, and severe nausea and vomiting — common symptoms of gastroparesis — are reported in many who take them. Even WeightWatchers, also known as WW, is moving into the obesity drug market via its acquisition of telehealth platform Sequence, where it intends to provide its clients with easy access to weight loss drugs like Wegovy.12

Psyllium suppresses appetite in a similar manner, but is much safer overall. As noted in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, “Although psyllium is useful, it may cause loss of appetite and delay gastric emptying if used before meals …”13

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Berberine — Another ‘Natural Ozempic’

On the topic of natural alternatives to Ozempic, berberine is another option with similar benefits to psyllium, although it’s an entirely different compound. Berberine is a chemical found in plants such as goldenseal and European barberry.14 Research shows it helps to regulate blood sugar and may help with weight loss.

A 2022 systematic review of the literature demonstrated that supplementing with berberine had a positive effect on lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, obesity parameters and systolic blood pressure.15

In a 2022 paper in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, the researchers wrote, “Studies have shown that BBR [berberine] can alleviate the pathological conditions of metabolic disorders, and the mechanism is related to the regulation of gut microbiota … meanwhile, the structure and function of gut microbiota also changed after intervention by berberine.”16

Like psyllium, berberine may also delay the amount of time it takes for food to pass through your small intestine,17 and preferentially nourish microbes that produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids known to have many health benefits.18

Psyllium Husk Offers More Than Weight Loss

The beauty of natural compounds like psyllium is they typically have multiple beneficial effects. Psyllium husk is no different, acting as a health-promoting prebiotic in your gut.

“Psyllium husk … consists of highly branched and gel-forming arabinoxylan, a polymer rich in arabinose and xylose which has limited digestibility in humans. However, several members of the intestinal microbiota can utilize these oligosaccharides and their constituent sugars as an energy source and, therefore, psyllium can be considered to have prebiotic potential,” researchers explained in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.19

Prebiotics help increase the growth of beneficial bacteria while boosting production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate and propionate, which play a role in building the gut barrier,20 making it less permeable to disease-causing microorganisms.21 Further, butyrate has been shown to induce programmed cell death of colon cancer cells.22

Psyllium also helps retain water in the small intestine, increasing water flow to the colon.23 This makes it a powerful natural option for constipation relief. “It traps water in the intestine increasing stool water, easing defecation and altering the colonic environment,” researchers with the University of Helsinki, Finland, and colleagues explained.

This is associated with significant changes in gut microbiota, particularly in those who are constipated.24 Psyllium works as well as kiwifruit and prunes for relieving constipation and has the added benefit of significantly improving straining.25 Psyllium has also been found to work better than wheat bran for constipation relief and is also useful for diarrhea and other bowel issues:26

“The water-holding capacity of the psyllium gel acts as a stool normalizer, softening hard stool in constipation, firming loose/liquid stools in diarrhea, and normalizing stool form/reducing symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Psyllium is the only isolated fiber recommended for treatment of IBS by the American College of Gastroenterology and chronic idiopathic constipation by the American Gastroenterological Association.”

Psyllium Benefits Your Heart and Metabolic Health

Psyllium offers many additional health benefits, which are clinically proven, including:27

  • Improved glycemic control among people with metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes
  • Cholesterol optimization
  • Lower blood pressure

A report funded by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) Foundation found that were U.S. adults over the age of 55 with heart disease to take psyllium dietary fiber on a daily basis, it could cut health costs by nearly $4.4 billion a year by reducing coronary heart disease-related medical events by 11.5%.28

A review published in Food & Function also hailed the potential for psyllium to prevent and treat cardiometabolic diseases and their complications, noting, “Numerous pharmacological studies have investigated the active ingredients and therapeutic effects of psyllium and its extracts, including antioxidant, anti-tumor, antidiabetic, hypotensive, anti-inflammation, neuroprotection, antidiarrheal, and antiviral activities.”29

Psyllium husk may also reduce the risk of gallstone formation by decreasing the body’s biliary cholesterol saturation index.30

Organic Psyllium Is Best

Psyllium is a heavily sprayed crop, which means many sources are contaminated with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. For this reason, only use organic unsweetened psyllium husk. Taking organic psyllium three times a day could add as much as 18 grams of fiber (soluble and insoluble) to your diet.

Ideally, you’ll want to get around 25 to 50 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed, so you’ll want to use psyllium in addition to a fruit- and veggie-rich diet. As mentioned, consume psyllium along with a full glass of water. It can also be useful in cooking and baking, and many gluten-free recipes rely on psyllium husks.

Serious adverse reactions to psyllium are rare, but if you have swallowing difficulties, narrowing of the esophagus or other gastrointestinal tract obstructions, you should consult your physician before using psyllium.

In addition to psyllium, healthy foods with high amounts of fiber include green peas, artichoke, baked sweet potato with the peel intact, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and many other vegetables.

Additional options that are also excellent fiber sources include pears, raspberries, stewed prunes, dried figs or dates (eaten in moderation due to high sugar content), pumpkin, apples with the skin intact and oranges.

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