Fibre-optics Health Dictionary

See ROUGHAGE.... fibre, dietary

It has been discovered that various cultures round the world, e.g. the Hunza Colony near Pakistan, the 7th-Day Adventists and others who eat high fibre foods have fewer cases of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other degenerative diseases. Natives of Hunza may live to great ages and have few dental problems, emotional illness and never require a laxative. Today, foods may be over-processed.

Other diseases recognised to be characteristic of modern western civilisation and claimed to be causally related to diet are: appendicitis, coronary heart disease, hiatus hernia, diverticulosis, piles and other anal disorders, obesity, gall stones, hypertension, deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins.

Low fibre intake results in slow transit of food and exposes potential carcinogens a longer period of time in contact with the alimentary canal. A high fibre diet tends to absorb a variety of environmental pollutants and eliminate them from the body.

Foods rich in fibre: wholemeal bread, grains, cereals, brown rice, beans, peas, boiled cabbage, sweetcorn, banana, prunes (stewed), dried apricots. One of the highest is All Bran, which has the highest proportion of dietary fibre among breakfast cereals with no preserves, artificial colouring or flavouring. Contains one-third fewer calories than most breakfast cereals and because of its glycaemic effect is useful in diabetic diet. ... fibre

A diet high in rich carbohydrate foods with sufficient protein to promote efficient elimination and supply vital trace elements in the form of minerals. Such foods produce moist bulky stools easy to pass and reduce blood cholesterol. It reduces LDLs and increases HDLs.

Fibre-deficient foods lead to poor elimination of body wastes and constipation, disposing the colon to a toxic state. This induces depression, a coated tongue and tiredness during the day. Such foods bring about a change in the balance of bowel bacterial flora, and form gas which may cause pouches of diverticulitis to develop. One of its less obvious effects is to enhance the risk of tooth and gum disease. Soon calcium is expelled by the urine and the intake of magnesium reduced, thus favouring the development of stone.

All plant material; leaves, stalks, seeds etc contain fibre. High-fibre foods include: whole grains, wholemeal bread, wholemeal flour (100 per cent extraction rate), crispbreads, biscuits (digestive, bran, oatmeal or coconut), raw green salad materials, potatoes boiled in their jackets, breakfast cereals (porridge, muesli, All-Bran, Shredded Wheat), brown rice, bran (2 teaspoons thrice daily; increase if necessary), fresh or dried fruit once or twice daily. ... diet - high fibre

(roughage) nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP), which cannot be digested and absorbed to produce energy; specifically, sources of NSP that do not contain lignin or resistant starch. Fibre is divided into two types: insoluble (cellulose and hemicelluloses) and soluble (pectins). Highly refined foods, such as sucrose, do not contain dietary fibre. Foods with a high fibre content include wholemeal cereals, vegetables, nuts, and fruit. A diet high in insoluble fibre (e.g. wheat bran, wholegrain and wholemeal bread and cereals) may help prevent bowel diseases, such as constipation, diverticulitis, and colon cancer. Soluble fibre (e.g. oats, barley, beans, pulses, fruit, and vegetables) slows the reabsorption of *bile salts and so helps to lower cholesterol as well as dampening the glycaemic response to glucose (see glycaemic index). A high-fibre diet used to be the first-line advice for irritable bowel syndrome; however, a low *FODMAP diet can be more effective.... dietary fibre

(myelinated nerve fibre) see myelin.... medullated nerve fibre

the long fine process that extends from the cell body of a *neuron and carries nerve impulses. Bundles of nerve fibres running together form a *nerve. Each fibre has a sheath, which in medullated nerve fibres is a relatively thick layer containing the fatty insulating material *myelin.... nerve fibre