Dietary Fiber Benefits

Chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes need daily management, which requires many of us to become our own healthcare provider. If it is diabetes you are managing, the first thing you learn is that you need to watch your carbohydrate intake

Fiber is one of our essential nutrients. In fact, fiber is so important that experts recommend eating plenty of it – 38 grams per day for adult men and 25 grams per day for women. Yet, a fiber gap exists between the recommended daily intake and what we typically eat on an average day.

Much has been said recently (in both science and popular media) about the importance of a healthy microbiome–referring to the microscopic community of bacteria, both good and bad, that we host in our bodies throughout our lives.

Digestive health is important to consumers. In a U.S. survey, 61 percent of consumers reported concern about maintaining digestive health and 43 percent were actively looking for products with natural ingredients to support that goal.

Babies are born with an immature immune system and a nearly sterile gut. Programming of their systemic immunity begins soon after birth and is strongly influenced by the multitude of bacteria that colonize the gut in their first days and weeks to form the body’s microbiota.

The large intestine, or colon, is the site of several unique functions in the body. Sitting at the terminal end of the digestive tract, the colon employs its large surface area – 300 square meters or about the size of a tennis court – to absorb water and concentrate food residue into feces.

The colon is the largest participant in the body’s immune system. Nearly sterile when a baby is born, the gut quickly is colonized by a multitude of bacteria that make up its microbiota.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate, more than doubling between 1980 and 2014. According to the World Health Organization, at least 1.9 billion adults and 42 million young children worldwide are overweight or obese

Osteoporosis affects approximately 54 million Americans, is responsible for 2 million broken bones, and accrues annual costs of $19 billion (NOF, 2015). It is estimated that half of women and a quarter of men 50 years and older will experience an osteoporosis-related bone break.

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing dramatically and the disease has become a global health problem. Worldwide, 387 million people have diabetes, 8.3 percent of the world population, and prevalence is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035 (International Diabetes Federation, 2014).