Bell Institute Blog

Fiber is generally accepted as a nutrient that is important to overall good health, but for many, our knowledge of fiber stops there.    Recently, the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, along with several other corporate and government sponsors took part in the 9^th Vahouny Fiber Symposium in Washington, DC.   The Vahouny Fiber Symposium has a rich heritage dating back to 1981 and has the overall goal of bringing together academic, industrial and government leaders in the field of fiber to share news and dig deeper into the science of fiber.  I have been involved in nutrition research related to fiber for about 7 years and the Vahouny Fiber Symposium was a great opportunity to hear how the history of fiber research has evolved as well as learn about some of the new developments in this exciting field.

You’ve probably heard that fiber can help lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease. You’ve likely also heard that fiber can aid in laxation and promote digestive health.    Maybe you’ve heard the term ‘prebiotic fiber’ and have read about how fiber helps to ‘feed the good bacteria’ in your digestive system.    Those are a lot of health benefits assigned to one nutrient! And, I admit, it can be hard to believe or understand how one nutrient can be doing so many things in our bodies.  

That’s why one of the key takeaways for me from this year’s Vahouny Fiber Symposium is that different types of fiber provide different health benefits. It makes sense that within the classification of “fiber”, there are subgroups with unique characteristics.  One of the subgroups or emerging areas that we are learning more about is prebiotic fiber and its role in maintaining a healthy balance of good bacteria in the intestine and how this action can support a healthy digestive system. Keeping in mind the different types of fiber and their different effects has really helped me understand how fiber acts in the body.

The area of fiber is fascinating to me and I think the coming years will help uncover some of the unknowns about how fiber promotes good health. 

We know that 9 out of 10 American are not getting enough fiber. What are some ways in which you encourage your patients to get a variety of fiber sources in their diet?