=====================================================
GUT ISSUES                          Life Sciences SIG
-----------------------------------------------------

We share many experiences with the kings of old:
pastries, for instance, and home entertainment and 
vacation trips to far-off lands.  Ancient-day common 
folk knew nothing of such things.  Then again, they 
weren't constipated...

We are.  Not all of us, of course.  But enough 
Canadians so that some doctors call our a 
constipated society.  And even if you're not
constipated, your present day diet may be leading 
you to more serious complaints like disorders of the 
large intestine or colon.  These, too, were
afflictions of of the upper classes of old.  Why?  
Because in general the rich refined their food, along 
with their lives, and so stripped it of an odd but 
essential ingredient called dietary fibre.  

Like its fellow carbohydrates, the various types of 
dietary fibre are the product of sunlight, water and 
carbon dioxide combining in green plants.  Most form
part of plant cell walls.  But unlike the other 
carbohydrates, fibres do not break down into sugars
in the human digestive system and then course through 
the blood stream fueling muscles and nerves.  Rather,
when eaten they tumble intact through the stomach and 
small intestine and end up in the colon where 
billions of bacterial feed on them - in turn producing
intestinal gas.  No wonder, then, that dietary fibre 
has been unwelcome in many of history's nicer
neighborhoods.  

Even 20th century doctors reasoned that since the 
bulky material provided not a single nutrient, it 
would only strain already troubled guts.  Accordingly, 
they recommended low-fibre diets for patients 
suffering from hemorrhoids and other colon disorders 
often found in the West.  But then, about 15 years ago,
the prescription was reversed as researchers found 
that poor Africans, who eats lots of fibre, rarely 
suffer from such complaints.  Fibre, the researchers 
learned, actually eases the bowel's burden by mixing 
with water and other food residues to create large, 

Soon, nutritionists came to see the low-fibre diet of 
most North Americans as a culprit in the onset of 
disorders ranging from tooth decay to heart attacks.  
Increasing the consumption of certain kinds of fibre, 
they found, could slow the body's absorption of 
sugars to which diabetics are sensitive, and of 
cholesterol, which may lead to heart disease. 

Furthermore, fibres fight obesity.  They're filling, 
especially the pectins in citrus fruit and the gums 
in some beans.  And they're mainly indigestible.  So  
dieters eating lots of fibre are likely to eat less 
of other, more fattening foodstuffs.

As for why populations on high-fibre diets seem to 
experience fewer colon cancers, no one knows for sure.
In any case, there is no doubt that fibre is nature's 
laxative, the dietary key to regularity.  Nutritionists
therefore advise you to stay away from foods 
containing processed and refined ingredients such as 
bleached flour and white sugar.  Remember that meats
contain little fibre and that overcooked vegetables 
and fried foods have lost much of theirs.

Nevertheless, fibre supplements are usually unnecessary.
Merely ensure that your diet is full of fresh fruits
and vegetables - and some of the most fibrous foods 
such as bran cereals, whole wheat breads, peas, beans 
and lentils - and you, too, can eat like an old-time 
pauper.
