The Amazing Benefits of Prebiotic Fibers
Fiber has become a buzzword in the fight against obesity in recent years. A surprising 95 percent of Americans correlate fiber with digestive health. This is because fiber-rich foods are generally high in nutrients and help to regulate your digestive tract.
Prebiotic fiber shares many of these benefits and more. The addition of a prebiotic fiber supplement to your diet can spark impressive gains in digestive health, bone health, and weight management, according to recent research from Beneo. Here’s an in-depth look at each one of those areas from the research and how prebiotics can benefit them.
Digestive Health
A healthy digestive system helps rid the body of waste products that become toxic when they build up. Prebiotic fibers such as inulin and oligofructose assist in maintaining digestive health by:
- Promoting higher, more stable levels of good gut bacteria
- Ensuring regularity, bulking and consistency of bowel movements
- Lowering the risk of intestinal infection
- Enhancing immune response
- Reducing leaky gut
- Decreasing the toxins in the blood
Bone Health
Strong bones guard against fractures, protect your organs, carry bone marrow for the production of blood cells, and help maintain your body’s ph balance. While most people know calcium plays a key role in maintaining bone strength, they may not realize prebiotics can boost the absorption of this important mineral. It also spurs absorption of magnesium, which assists in the structural development of bones. Ultimately, prebiotics promotes greater bone density.
Increased bone density guards against ailments such as osteoporosis. The Prebiotin formula of oligofructose-enriched inulin is particularly good at getting dietary calcium into the blood. That means that the calcium you take in as part of your regular diet is absorbed into your blood stream, rather than simply traveling in and out of your gut.
Weight Management
Nearly everyone is concerned about their weight, but beyond questions of vanity, there are other important reasons to monitor your weight. Being overweight increases your chances of developing serious problems such as obesity or diabetes. Prebiotics can help guard against this as well.
The use of prebiotics results in:
- A reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome
- A rise in satiety (feeling full after a meal)
- A dip in the hunger hormone in the blood
- A smaller amount of calorie absorption in the colon
It’s pretty clear that the buzz about fiber isn’t just hype. Prebiotic fibers help your body fight for good digestive and bone health, and they’ll help keep your weight at a healthy level.