Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:35 PM WASHINGTON - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter Tuesday to congressional leaders saying she's suspending the reinvestment of some federal bonds in a government... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:33 PM The number of Marylanders who enrolled in health coverage for 2023 through the state insurance exchange increased slightly from last year, to a record 182,166, the Maryland... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:29 PM A legislative panel has advanced a bill to help local governments and tribal agencies plan in advance for climate-related threats to public health such as wildfires, flooding... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:25 PM This week, Liz sits down with singer, songwriter, and actress Taylor Dayne for a conversation about her singing career and battle for her health. Taylor details how she got... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:21 PM Overall score : 0.715- Social and economic rank: 9- Physical environment rank: 22- Clinical care rank: 1- Behaviors rank: 5- Health outcomes rank: 3In Minnesota, heavy drinking... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:21 PM Overall score : 0.131- Social and economic rank: 12- Physical environment rank: 43- Clinical care rank: 42- Behaviors rank: 15- Health outcomes rank: 30Alaska faces several... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:13 PM Highly sensitive people are strong performers in the workplace. Their time and energy need to be protected. |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:11 PM The World Health Organization is investigating the possible connection between contaminated cough syrups and the over 300 children who have died as a result of using the... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:01 PM Overall score : -0.422- Social and economic rank: 41- Physical environment rank: 17- Clinical care rank: 29- Behaviors rank: 44- Health outcomes rank: 42The number of geriatric... |
Health feed - News BreaK Tuesday, January 24, 2023 1:01 PM Overall score : -0.489- Social and economic rank: 35- Physical environment rank: 46- Clinical care rank: 45- Behaviors rank: 43- Health outcomes rank: 44Behavioral health is... |
Mark's Daily Apple Tuesday, January 24, 2023 11:00 AM The health world is fixated on fiber, constantly telling us how important fiber is and how we should all be eating more of it. Back in the day, our cultural obsession with fiber was all about being "regular." You had to load up on fiber to keep things moving, so to speak. Nothing was more important. So we started our days with bland, tooth-cracking breakfast cereal that tasted like tree bark and sparked no joy. But hey, it was loaded with fiber and therefore good for us, right? I've long been skeptical of that particular story, mostly because every major health agency that recommends higher fiber intake also says that we should get much of that fiber from whole grains. And you know how I feel about that. If whole grains aren't essential (or even healthy, if you ask me), then how could the fiber they provide be essential? It doesn't add up. Now, though, as we learn ever more about the emerging science of the microbiome, the fiber story is starting to shift. It's become less about pushing "roughage" through our colons to create bulkier, more impressive bowel movements (although some people still promote this supposed benefit). Certain types of fiber, it turns out, are essentially food for the microbes living in our guts. The health (and composition) of the gut flora helps determine the health of the human host (that's you). It's not clear what exactly constitutes "healthy gut flora," and we're still teasing out exactly how it affects the various physiological functions, but we know we need them and we know they need to eat something to even have a chance at helping us. Not all fiber is created equal in this respect. Thus, when it comes to fiber, it's important to understand what it does, what you want it to do, and what types are likely to be helpful or harmful. Understanding the Types of Dietary Fiber The tricky thing about fiber is it's not a monolith. There are dozens of varieties. Some of them perform similar functions in the body, but others have extremely unique effects. We can't talk about fiber without understanding that the word describes a variety of compounds, and this leads to a lot of confusion. People make blanket statements that might be true for some types of fibers and incorrect for others. Broadly speaking, fiber is any plant component that we eat but do not metabolize directly. Since we can't digest these materials, they pass through our small intestine without being broken down and absorbed—which means they make it to the lower reaches of the GI tract more or less intact. And this is important for reasons we'll discuss shortly. There are various ways of classifying the different types of fiber, the most common one being insoluble versus soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is a bulking agent, increasing the mass of the stool, which actually moves the stool more quickly through the intestines. Except for perhaps relieving constipation ("perhaps" because it doesn't … Continue reading "What Does Fiber Do, And Do You Need More?" The post What Does Fiber Do, And Do You Need More? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. |
