Health & Medical Advice and Information - UK Medical Health

At one time fibre was thought to serve no useful purpose in the body, as it does not contain any nutrients, but gradually nutritionists began to recognise that what the naturopaths had been saying for a long time had some truth in it – fibre was really important in the diet.

Fibre has many benefits:

§ Fibre bulks up stools and so reduces the chances of you suffering from constipation.
§ Fibre keeps the intestinal wall clean and reduces the likelihood of developing diverticulitis.
§ Bacteria in the colon can break down fibre, creating an acidic environment that decreases the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
§ Foods high in fibre can take longer to eat, increasing the feeling of fullness after a meal, and so help you weight control.
§ Food high in fibre is digested more slowly and so glucose may be released more slowly into the blood stream. This helps stabilise blood sugar and reduce mood swings.
§ Fibre binds with cholesterol and removes it from the body.

Fibre is only found in plants. Fibre rich foods include wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, vegetables - especially beans, peas and lentils - nuts and dried fruit.

So are there any disadvantages of eating fibre? Fibre can bind with some minerals such as iron and reduce their absorption. So, if you are taking an iron supplement, take it away from a fibre-rich meal.

Although fibre can help protect your colon from inflammatory diseases such as diverticulitis and Crohn’s disease, if you already have one of these conditions fibre will often aggravate the condition as it physically scrubs the inflamed tissues. Instead of increasing your fibre intake, take herbs to soothe your gut and reduce inflammation.