ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIBER?
There's a debate about whether the different types of fiber matter.
- Soluble fiber, the kind found in oats, fruits, beans and psylllum (which is used in lots of fiber pills and products), forms a gel (jello-like) with fluid. That gel slows stomach emptying, and in doing so, helps to regulate sugar and insulin levels and lower cholesterol levels.
- Insoluble fiber, in vegetables and other whole grains, pretty much remain the same passing through the intestine, providing much of the intestinal bulk.
Both seem to have a positive effect on the bacteria in the intestine (the microbiome).
This article, as well as all others, was reviewed and edited by a member of our Medical Advisory Board.
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