LCH CARE ENTERPRISE: How Does Fiber Lower Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is sterol that plays a vital role in maintaining cell wall integrity and hormone production. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing, and high blood cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke. There are two types of cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotien (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotien (HDL). LDL cholesterol is considered the "bad" cholesterol because its low density causes it to clump together in the blood stream, clogging blood vessels.
Blood cholesterol comes from two sources, the diet and the liver. Generally, the liver only makes as much cholesterol as we need, but there are those who are genetically predisposed to overproducing cholesterol. But, while we cannot control how much cholesterol the liver produces, we can control diet. One dietary measure, for reducing cholesterol, is to increase fiber consumption. Fiber comes in two forms--soluble, which dissolves in water, and insoluble, which does not.

Soluble fiber controls cholesterol levels by trapping dietary cholesterol, removing cholesterol from the body, and slowing the production of cholesterol in the liver. When food enters the intestines the liver releases bile, which is produced from cholesterol, to help with digestion. When the soluble fiber dissolves, it forms a gummy substance that traps dietary cholesterol, and bile, keeping them from entering the blood stream. The body does not absorb this fiber, instead, the unabsorbed mass, and the cholesterol, pass out of the body during defecation. Because the dietary cholesterol and the bile are removed, the body has to use blood cholesterol for its purposes, thereby lowering blood cholesterol levels. As the dietary fiber sits in the intestines, it ferments. As the fiber ferments, the cholic acid in the bile is broken down into a fatty acid called chenodeoxycholic acid. This fatty acid inhibits cholesterol production in the liver, resulting in an overall lowering of blood cholesterol levels.

Insoluble fiber does not bind with cholesterol but it helps with the elimination of wastes. So the soluble fiber stops the absorption of cholesterol and the insoluble fiber helps clear it from the body faster.

According to the Mayo Clinic, just 10 grams of soluble fiber, a day, decreases total LDL cholesterol. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends 25 grams, per day, for women, and 38 grams for men. Fiber only occurs in plant products like beans, fruits and vegetables. There are also breads, cereals and even fiber-fortified dairy products available to help meet dietary requirements. The easiest way to increase fiber intake is to have whole fruits and vegetables with every meal, eat several small meals a day and supplement with fiber-fortified foods. However, you should increase fiber slowly, because fiber does not digest, and too much at once can cause bloating, gas and discomfort.

LCH CARE ENTERPRISE