What is Soluble & Insoluble Fiber?

What is fiber?

Fiber is the part of food that passes through the stomach and small intestine without being digested by enzymes.

There are five major types of fiber (cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, gums and lignin), but in most cases fiber is discussed primarily in terms of soluble or insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber

(pectin, gums, some hemicellulose) is smooth, since it dissolves or gets soft in water. Soluble fiber gives us the pectin that gels jellies, the gums that thicken many prepared foods, and psyllium, the bulking fiber that can be used every day. Psyllium, oat bran, and other soluble fibers have been the subject of intensive scientific inquiry ever since researchers found that soluble fiber helps maintain cholesterol levels within the normal range. Other properties of soluble fiber include supporting the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria and helping to reduce blood sugar swings.

Insoluble fiber

(cellulose, lignin, some hemicellulose) has been called “roughage” and is what gave fiber the reputation for helping with regularity. Some well-known insoluble fibers are wheat bran (used in breakfast cereals), soy fiber, and corn bran. Insoluble fiber is best known for its ability to provide bulk in the digestive system, thus normalizing elimination and speeding the transit time of waste material through the colon. This helps reduce the concentration of both endogenous (produced in the body) and exogenous (from outside) toxins in the colon.

One of the great benefits of psyllium husks is that although they are primarily composed of soluble fiber, they provide the benefits of both soluble and insoluble fiber. In other words, they help maintain cholesterol levels within the normal range like soluble fiber, and they help to promote regularity like insoluble fiber. Psyllium husks are the best single fiber source. Yerba Prima’s psyllium husks products are Psyllium Whole Husks, Psyllium Husks Powder, Psyllium Husks Caps and Psyllium Husks Veg Caps.

However, for long-term use it can be valuable to have a balance of different types of fiber. Just as a multiple vitamin provides a variety of benefits in the body, so also will a multiple fiber formula provide a variety of different fiber benefits in the body. Yerba Prima’s multiple fiber formulas are Daily Fiber Formula, Daily Fiber Caps, Colon Care Formula and Colon Care Caps.

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