Water soluble fiber

Food fiber (e.g., oat fiber) that dissolves in water. It apparently absorbs low-density lipoproteins (LDLP) in the intestine, before the fiber passes from the body, plus inhibits absorption of LDLP by intestinal walls due to increasing the viscosity of the intestine’s contents. Those two effects thus lower the amount of “bad” cholesterol (i.e., LDLP can lead to hardening and blockage of arteries) in the body. Water soluble fiber from oat bran is a polysaccharide composed entirely of glucose (molecular) units. U.S. FDA regulations also include gums, pectins, mucilages, and certain hemicelluloses in the category of water soluble fiber. In 1997, the U.S. FDA finalized a (label) health claim that associates oat fiber with reduced blood cholesterol content and with reduced coronary heart disease. In 1997, the U.S. FDA proposed a (label) health claim that associates soluble fiber from psyllium husks with reduced risk of coronary heart disease.


 


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