Canada (Commonwealth Union) – Dietary fiber has always been known to be a key component for a healthy diet. Health benefits from dietary fiber are weight loss and management and dietary fiber has the ability to make you feel full without gaining excessive weight. Dietary fiber has also been associated with lowering the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. It is also believed to be beneficial to gut bacteria and the digestive system, but new research may dispute that for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The study, conducted by the University of Alberta (U of A) on dietary fiber for IBD, has indicated that people suffering from the disease may soon get personalized dietary guidelines to keep them feeling well, due to new findings on how dietary fiber affects the disease. The researchers have also shown that certain types of dietary fiber led to an inflammatory response in some patients, causing symptoms to worsen.
They are presently focusing on a test to determine the microbes indicated in each patient’s gut in order to determine who has the negative response, to tailor dietary instructions and treatment on an individual basis. The next phase of the study will be funded by the Weston Family Foundation.
Approximately 0.7 % of Canadians have IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which is forecasted to rise to 1 % by 2030, fastest rising among children. IBD usually results in abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, loss of weight, late puberty, that can lead to a long-term risk for colorectal cancer. The root cause is not evident, but certain risks are genetics, diet, environmental factors together with alterations in the gut microbes.
Heather Armstrong, who initiated the research as a post-doctoral researcher at the U of A, said: “We know there are health benefits to consuming dietary fibres and they promote good gut health in healthy individuals, but IBD patients quite frequently complain about a sensitivity when they consume dietary fibres.”
