Good for your digestion

Bio-Fiber is a dietary supplement without added nutrients. Each tablet contains a balanced mix (460 mg) of natural, soluble and insoluble vegetable fibers derived from lemon pectin and sugar beets. The preparation compensates for the relatively low fiber content in modern diets. Bio-Fiber offers useful support for your digestion, as it improves the body’s ability to get rid of waste at the same time as supporting regular bowel movements.

A balanced diet should ideally contain both soluble and insoluble fibers. Bio-Fiber combines these two types of fiber in one tablet.

Bio-Fiber should be taken at a different time than dietary supplements with nutrients in liquid form such as e.g., fish oil.

What are dietary fibers?

Dietary fiber is found naturally in many raw foods. Fiber belongs to the group of carbohydrates that we are either unable to digest or only able to digest to a limited degree. Digestion in this context means to break down into sugars and starches with help from various digestive enzymes.

Soluble Fibers

There are two main groups of dietary fibre: the soluble and the insoluble fiber types. Soluble fibers turn into a jelly-like mass when they blend with liquids. This can add up to 15 times their own weight. A diet that includes soluble fiber adds bulk to the intestinal content and slows down the passage of food through the small intestine.

Insoluble Fibers

Insoluble fiber can also absorb some water, but not nearly as muchh as soluble fiber types. Insoluble fiber helps speed up the passage of food through the intestines. Like soluble fibers, insoluble fiber adds bulk to the intestinal content. A certain amount of the insoluble fiber ferments and serves as nutrition for the natural intestinal microflora.

What are the different fiber types?

Cellulose is the type of carbohydrate that humans are unable to digest because we do not produce enzymes that can break it down. Cellulose is found in the cell wall of plants. Good dietary sources of cellulose are fruits and vegetables. Cellulose only absorbs a small quantity of liquid.

Hemicellulose is an indigestible carbohydrate just like cellulose. Together with pectin, it forms a matrix that encloses the cellulose fibers in the cell wall of plants.

Pectin is an indigestible dietary fiber that is found in most cell walls, except cells in wood-like plants. The pectin content in unripe fruit is mainly insoluble, whereas it becomes increasingly water-soluble in ripe fruit with help from enzymes. Pectin is used to make jelly among other things.

Lignin is not considered a carbohydrate and belongs to a separate group of substances. The lignin content in the cell walls of plants varies. Lignin is what gives wood its strength. Lignin is literally indigestible.

European diets have changed substantially from what they were over a century ago. About 100 years back in time, our diets consisted of grains with a high fiber content, just like fruits and vegetables constituted a substantial part of the diet. The fiber content in our diet has decreased with the increasing industrial refinement of food. Consequently, modern diets are substantially lower in fiber.

A normal gut contains around one kilogram of intestinal bacteria (in some people as much to two kilos). Our gut flora typically features approximately 160 different bacteria species. These intestinal bacteria break down proteins and carbohydrates from our diet that are difficult to digest. The bacteria therefore depend on a certain amount of dietary fibers. The food we eat is important for the number and distribution of different bacterial species.

In addition to processing fiber compounds from our food, the gut bacteria excrete different neurotransmitters that affect our metabolism, appetite regulation, and immune defense. Glutamate, GABA, serotonin, and dopamine are among the neurotransmitters produced by the gut.

Increasing the daily fibre intake
If the body is not used to a high-fiber diet, an increase in fiber intake may result in intestinal accumulation of gasses and subsequent flatulence. When increasing your fiber intake, it is normally recommended to start with small adjustments and gradually increase the quantity to help the digestive system adapt to the change. The same applies when taking a fiber supplement in tablet form.

Start with four Bio-Fiber tablets per day and increase the dosage by two tablets every week up, until you reach the desired dosage.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has evaluated the evidence behind sugar beet fiber and has acknowledged the following claims:

• Increases fecal bulk