Nutrition 0119 2011

Fibre and Bowel Health

Dietary fibre is necessary for good digestion and a healthy bowel. It also helps control weight, blood level and blood sugar level and may protect against bowel cancer. Good sources of dietary fibre include wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds.

What is fibre? Dietary fibre is a general term meaning the parts of foods from plants that are not digested or absorbed in the stomach or . Most dietary fibres are . Dietary fibre passes unchanged into the large intestine (colon), where at least partly break it foods, the skins of fruits and vegetables, down by fermentation. This fermentation nuts and seeds. may produce a lot of gas (wind) in the bowel. • Foods containing resistant starch include unprocessed wholegrain cereals, seeds There are several different types of dietary and nuts, under-ripe bananas, legumes, fibre including soluble fibre, insoluble fibre slightly undercooked (“al dente”) pasta and resistant starch. and cooked and cooled potato, rice and • Good sources of soluble fibre include pasta. Resistant starch (as Hi-Maize) is oats, barley, rye, fruits, vegetables and added to some breakfast cereals and legumes (e.g. beans, lentils). fibre supplement products. • Good sources of insoluble fibre include Dietary fibre is also called ‘roughage’ wheat bran, rice bran, wholegrain or ‘bulk’.

Self Care is a program of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Self Care is committed to providing current and reliable health information. Fibre and health Effects of low fibre Fibre is important for a healthy digestive A diet that is low in fibre may contribute system. Benefits of dietary fibre include: to a variety of health problems including: • Fibre increases the bulk of faeces • (bowel motions) and absorbs water to • Haemorrhoids (piles) enlarge and soften faeces. Large, soft • Bowel cancer faeces pass quickly and easily through • Diverticular disease the bowel, reducing the likelihood of constipation • • High fibre foods can help with weight • Being overweight control. They are often slower to eat • High blood cholesterol (they need more chewing), they are • Diabetes. filling and they tend to contain fewer kilojoules (calories) per gram than low Self care fibre foods • Eat a wide variety of high fibre foods. • Fibre, especially soluble fibre, slows Adults should aim to eat 5 serves of sugar absorption. A high fibre diet vegetables, 2 serves of fruit and some can help people with diabetes control wholegrain and cereal foods every day. their blood sugar levels and may also Limit foods high in fat, sugar reduce the risk of developing type 2 or salt. diabetes • Increase fibre in diet gradually, to avoid • Soluble fibre can help to lower blood gas, bloating and cramping. cholesterol level • Eat regular meals to stimulate bowel • Fibre may reduce the risk of bowel movement. cancer. Fermentation of soluble fibre • Never ignore the urge to open your and resistant starch produces short- bowels. chain fatty acids, which may protect • Drink enough water every day to the bowel from cancer. Also, quick satisfy your thirst and to keep your passage of faeces through the bowel urine ‘light-coloured’ (unless a doctor reduces the time that cancer-causing advises not to). A person on a high substances are in the bowel fibre diet needs to drink plenty of fluid. • High fibre foods usually contain • Exercise at a moderate level for at least many vitamins, minerals and essential 30 minutes on all or most days of the . week.

To find your nearest Self Care pharmacy go to the pharmacy finder at www.psa.org.au Fibre supplements (e.g. Benefiber), ispaghula (e.g. Fybogel) and sterculia (e.g. Normacol Plus, The best sources of fibre are high Normafibe). They may produce less gas fibre foods. Dietary fibre can be in the bowel than high fibre foods. supplemented with fibre supplement products if needed. A pharmacist can When using fibre supplements always advise on fibre supplements. read and follow the instructions carefully. Fibre supplements: Common ingredients of fibre supplement products include • must be taken with plenty of fluid (e.g. Metamucil, Nucolox), inulin • may reduce absorption of medicines (e.g. Metamucil Fibresure), guar gum and are best taken 2 hours apart from other medicines.

Some high fibre foods

Breads, cakes, biscuits Vegetables • Wholemeal, wholegrain, multigrain, • Legumes such as chick peas, lentils, white with added fibre, soy and linseed beans (e.g. baked, broad, butter, kidney, breads. lima, soy beans). • Cakes, biscuits, scones and muffins • Potatoes, carrots, beetroot, parsnips, made with wholemeal flour (some may sweet potatoes, turnips, yams. be high in fat). • Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, • Wholegrain and wholemeal crackers cauliflower, mushrooms, leeks, peas, (e.g. Ryvita, Vita Wheat). snow peas, spinach, asparagus, Asian greens. Breakfast cereals Note: Salad vegetables such as celery, • Rolled oats, wholemeal porridge. lettuce and cucumber are not good • Bran cereals (e.g. All Bran, Sultana Bran). sources of fibre. • Unprocessed wheat bran, oat bran, rice Nuts and seeds bran. • Whole wheat breakfast cereals • All kinds (some nuts are also high in fat). (e.g. Weetbix, Weeties, Vita Brits). Fruit • Muesli (toasted muesli is often high in • All fresh and dried fruit, especially with fat – check the label). skin, seeds, pith. • Apples, apricots, bananas, berries, figs, Grains and grain foods guava, kiwi fruit, mandarin, mango, • Oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, cracked oranges, pears, plums, quince and wheat. rhubarb are particularly high in fibre. • Brown rice, polenta, couscous. Note: Fruit juices provide much less fibre • Pasta – spinach or wholemeal. than eating the whole fruit.

To find your nearest Self Care pharmacy go to the pharmacy finder at www.psa.org.au For more information Related fact cards Constipation Dietitians Association Haemorrhoids Listed under ‘D’ in the white pages of Irritable Bowel Syndrome the phone book Website: www.daa.asn.au The Gut Foundation Phone: (02) 9382 2749 Website: www.gutfoundation.com Healthdirect Australia Phone: 1800 022 222 Website: www.healthinsite.gov.au Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) Your pharmacist can advise on CMI leaflets. National Prescribing Service (NPS) Sponsored by: Medicines Information Phone: 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424) Procter & Gamble Website: www.nps.org.au makers of The Poisons Information Centre In case of poisoning phone 13 11 26 ® from anywhere in Australia.

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Reviewed October 2011, Published October 2011. © Pharmaceutical Society of Australia www.psa.org.au