I get asked almost daily - Is taking a fiber supplement the same as eating more fiber? The answer is - it depends.
This is how I describe it to patients. Think about the foundation in your house. If the foundation is settling and has cracks, building walls and ceilings on top of that will not last - eventually it will fail. Now, if your foundation is rock solid and it has a good water barrier then you can build on top of that foundation knowing it is stable! The same applies to your gut. If the cell lining of your gut is warped and allowing toxins from inside your gut to pass through and into your bloodstream, sprinkling a fiber supplement on top is not going to provide any long-lasting benefit. On the other hand, if your cell lining is tight, healthy and has its protective barrier (known as the mucous layer), then adding the right kind of fiber supplements can be very beneficial. So how do you build a gut lining that is healthy, has tight junctions with a thick mucous layer - FIBER!!
My recommendation is to load your plate with "fiber first" because it is such a crucial part of a healthy diet and its benefits extends far beyond regular bowel movements. When fiber reaches the large intestine, it undergoes fermentation by gut bacteria and that is when the true magic happens. That fermentaiton leads to the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs are the key players in maintaining gut health, particularly in creating tight junctions and allowing the right amount of gut permeability.
How Fiber Fermentation Produces SCFAs
Dietary fiber is made of indigestible carbohydrates that pass through the small intestine mostly intact. When this fiber reaches the large intestine, it encounters a diverse mix of gut microorganisms, known as the gut microbiome. This is an intricate ecosystem that is populated by trillions of organisms - thousounds of species of bacteria, viruses, fungi and even parasites. When there is a healthy balance between these microorganisms this leads to a beneficial relationship - we bring food, nutrients and water and the microorganisms protect us by keeping the unhealthy ones in low number. In turn, the healthy bacteria can get to work producing SCFA's when they ferment the fiber that you eat.
The primary SCFAs produced during fiber fermentation are:
Acetate
Propionate
Butyrate
Each of these SCFAs plays different and distinct roles in gut health and overall well-being.
Importance of SCFAs in Gut Permeability
Gut permeability is the gut lining's ability to selectively allow nutrients and water to pass into the bloodstream while keeping harmful substances and toxins out. SCFAs, particularly butyrate, are crucial in maintaining and enhancing this barrier function.
Strengthening Tight Junctions
Butyrate: This SCFA is hugely important for the health of colonocytes (the cells lining the colon). Butyrate provides energy to these cells and helps to strengthen tight junctions— which are protein complexes that seal the spaces between cells. Strong tight junctions prevent the leakage of harmful substances and toxins into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces the risk of inflammation and infection.
Here is a common example of the power of gut health! I was taking care of a 62 yo man who was complaining of feeling very achy. He would struggle to get out of his car and it would take a while to "get going in the morning" because he felt like his joints were so stiff and achy. Prior to being my patient, he had bloodwork done to rule out "inflammation" and everything was normal. After accessing his nutrition and lifestyle - I made recommendations to heal his gut naturally. Three months later he was amazed at how much better he felt and how easy it was to get into and out of his car.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Propionate and Acetate: These SCFAs have anti-inflammatory effects that help control the immune response in the gut. When your body senses a substance as foreign it activates your immune system. A few of the key players in this reponse are T cells, IL-18 (interluekin-18) and IL-10 (interluekin-10). These cells work in a coordinated fashion to activate your innate immune system (this is your rapid response system) and your adaptive immune system (this is your memory system that makes antibodies to a specific foreign substance / invader). If your nutritional pattern is low in fiber resulting in a small quantity of healthy bacteria this leads to ineffective production of propionate and acetate. Without propionate and acetate exerting their anti-inflammatory effects this leads to an over activation of your immune system. This over activation is believed to be the underlying cause of inflammatory bowel diseases (crohns and ulcerative colitis) and rheumatoid arthritis.
A 45 yo female patient of mine found me because she was looking for other options to manage symptoms related to rheumatoid arthritis. The typical treatment plan includes medications to dampen or turn down your immune system in order to help with symptoms such as stiffness, pain and swelling. After a comprehensive assessment of her nutrition and lifestyle we implemented simple and actionable changes to improve her gut health. After a few shorts months, although she still needed the medication to turn down her immune system, she needed much lower doses. She also reported feeling more energetic, which was amazing because she had a very demanding job.
Promoting Mucus Production
Butyrate: In addition to helping create tight junctions, the SCFA butyrate stimulates the production of mucus by cells in the gut lining. This mucus layer is very important because it acts as an additional barrier, protecting cells from pathogens and toxins. Eating a high fiber diet leads to a thicker mucous layer. On the other hand, if your nutritional choices are low in fiber this mucous layer gets very thin and allows more pathogens and toxins to cross into your bloodstream.
Additional Health Benefits of SCFAs
Beyond gut permeability and its effect on your immune system, inflammation and risk for infection, SCFAs have several other health benefits:
Metabolic Health: SCFAs can improve your metabolism, how sensitive your cells are to insulin and how well your body uses the food you eat to create energy.
Cardiovascular Health: SCFAs can help lower your blood pressure and even reduce your cholesterol levels.
Mental Health: There is growing research that shows a link between SCFAs and brain health - potentially affecting mood, anxiety, depression and even your risk for dementia and cognitive decline.
How to Increase SCFA Production Through Diet
In order to boost the production of SCFAs in your gut it is essential to choose fiber first! Aim to get at least 25-30g of fiber a day from the following sources
Fruits and Vegetables: Apples, berries, broccoli and carrots.
Whole Grains: Oats, barley, quinoa and brown rice.
Legumes: Lentils, beans and chickpeas.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, flaxseeds and chia seeds.
Conclusion
Understanding the power of fiber and how it fuels the production of SCFAs is the key to achieving gut health! SCFAs, especially butyrate, play a critical role in reducing inflammation, and supporting the mucous layer and overall intestinal barrier function. When you build your dinner plate be sure to choose fiber first!
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