In a study from Georgia State University and elsewhere, scientists found adding highly refined fiber to processed foods could have negative effects on human health, such as promoting liver cancer.
Accumulating evidence demonstrates consumption of whole foods naturally rich in fiber confers an array of health benefits.
This, combined with an appreciation by many health-conscious consumers that their diets are lacking in such fibers, has led to the food industry enriching foods with highly refined soluble fibers, such as inulin.
Recently, changes in U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules allow foods containing supplemented fibers to be marketed as health-promoting.
This study raises serious concerns about the safety of adding refined fiber to processed foods.
In the study, the team tested the idea that a diet enriched with refined inulin might help combat obesity-associated complications in mice.
While such an inulin-containing diet did stave off obesity, some of the mice started to develop jaundice. After six months, many of these mice developed liver cancer.
Although this study was performed in mice, it has potential implications for human health, particularly cautioning against enriching processed foods with highly refined, fermentable fiber.
These findings indicate that enriching foods with purified fibers may not recapitulate the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables naturally rich in soluble fiber.
Moreover, it may result in serious, life-threatening liver cancer in some individuals.
Hence, the researchers think the recent FDA rule change that has effectively encouraged the marketing of fiber-fortified food as health-promoting is ill-conceived and should be reconsidered.
These findings highlight the need for more studies looking at the effects of purified diet consumption in humans, especially on liver health.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about how vitamin supplementation may affect dementia risk, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that green tea could strongly reduce blood pressure and results showing coffee drinking could help reduce death risk by decreasing heart rate.
The study was conducted by Dr. Matam Vijay-Kumar et al and published in Cell.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
