Dietary fiber is the non-nutritive component of a healthy diet that helps to suppress your appetite. The appetite suppressant effect of dietary fibers results from the way fiber affects your caloric intake and nutrient utilization. The appetite suppressant effect of high fiber helps you to lose body fat and maintain good health. There are two basic types of dietary fibers, the soluble and the insoluble fibers. Both are effective for curbing the appetite and maintaining good health.
Stomach Distension
Distension of the stomach signals the brain that you have consumed enough food and satiety has been reached. Your brain stops sending out hunger signals and your desire to consume more food subsides. Dietary fibers add bulk to your food, thereby lowering the nutrient density of your food. Consequently, satiety is attained with lowered caloric intake in the presence of dietary fibers. This is strongly supportive of body fat reduction and weight loss.
Stabilization of Plasma Glucose Level
An important effect of dietary fibers that supports good health is blood glucose stabilization at normal or near-normal levels. When plasma glucose is stabilized, plasma insulin surge is avoided because your plasma level of insulin rises and falls in tandem with plasma glucose. When plasma glucose is controlled, adverse effects of your elevated plasma level of insulin is also controlled. These adverse effects include, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Another effect of a stable glucose level at normal levels is that satiety is maintained. When the plasma level of glucose is lowered, as can occur with an insulin surge, your brain senses that you need to eat more food to bring up the plasma glucose level. Hunger signals are then sent out, causing you to consume more food and increase your caloric intake.
Insoluble Fiber
Dietary fiber lowers the nutrient density of foods. Insoluble fiber plays a prominent role in this nutrient-diluting effect of dietary fiber. One consequence of this nutrient dilution is a reduction in the amount of nutrients available for absorption in each gram of food. This includes lowered amounts of glucose that are available for absorption. This leads to a more gradual introduction of glucose into the blood stream. A slow input of glucose into the blood stream is important for maintaining stable blood glucose.
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber is important for slowing down nutrient absorption in the small intestine. It coats the absorptive surface, making it difficult for glucose and other nutrients to reach the absorption site. Soluble fibers play a more important role in slowing glucose absorption than the non-soluble fibers. This slows the absorption of glucose, helping to stabilize blood glucose.
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