Why You Need Prebiotics

By Nathan Schiller 
Reviewed by QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board

We tend to think that bacteria in the digestive system are what we want to rid our bodies of. But there is a certain food ingredient that helps these bacteria grow and is actually beneficial to our digestive health.

They are called prebiotics, nondigestible food ingredients that help bacterial species grow in the colon, which is good for our overall health.[1] In nutrition terms, prebiotic foods are classified as fibers-the stuff that runs through your digestive system. In addition to helping the intestinal tract, prebiotics have been shown to increase the absorption of certain minerals (like calcium and magnesium)[2] and inhibit the growth of lesions, thus reducing the risk factors involved in colorectal diseases.[3]

The prevalence of prebiotic foods is a continual and ongoing research project. In 2008 the Institute of Food Research published a study that identified how almonds could have prebiotic properties.[4] We already know that almonds, being high in vitamin E and other minerals, and thought to reduce cholesterol, are extremely healthy. Now we can add that they may improve digestive health: the study shows that they may increase levels of beneficial gut bacteria.

While there's a good chance you're already eating almonds-after all, they go great with cereal, yogurt, and plain, as a snack-here are three sources of prebiotics.

Whole grains. This encompasses everyday foods like rice, pasta, and cereal. In a 2007 study, wherein two groups of people ate 48 grams of cereal for 3 weeks, one group devouring wheat bran, the other taking in whole grain, the authors discovered that those who ate the whole grain had higher levels of faecal, a beneficial bacteria.[5] This suggests that the whole grains were having a prebiotic effects.

Bananas. This is one of the healthiest fruits in existence. For one, it is high in potassium, which helps stave off muscle cramps during exercise and can lower blood pressure. Secondly, its high potassium content may help promote bone health.[6] And third, its fiber content is extremely high, which helps prevent heart disease, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine. Plus, they are in season all year.

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Eat to Beat Bowel Cancer

By Susan McQuillan

Reviewed by QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board

Fruits and vegetables provide some of the most important nutrients you can consume, namely, disease-fighting antioxidants in the form of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (substances found only in plants that are known to protect your cells from destruction).

One of the many diseases that antioxidants can help prevent is bowel, or colorectal, cancer. But it gets even more specific than that. An Australian survey study, published in the October 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that different fruits and vegetables may affect certain parts of the bowel.

Previous studies that link bowel cancer risk and fruit and vegetable consumption have had conflicting results. The Australian researchers point out that this could be because until now, no study has looked specifically at the relationship between diet and the different parts of the bowel where tumors could form.

Your gastrointestinal tract is a long tube that stretches from your mouth to your rectum, with lots of twists, turns, bulges, and folds in between. The food you eat travels this entire course to be broken down, digested, and stripped of its nutrients along the way. Those nutrients are absorbed through your intestinal wall and travel through your bloodstream to wherever they are needed. What's left of your meal is eliminated, along with any indigestible fiber contained in the food.

Your bowel has three main parts and each part is divided into distinct areas. Your distal colon includes the large intestine, sigmoid colon, and descending colon in your distal colon. Your proximal colon includes the cecum, appendix, ascending colon, and transverse colon. Your rectum leads to your anus, which is the end of your large intestine and the end of your gastrointestinal tract.

More clinical studies need to be performed to confirm these results, but upon analyzing the diets of almost 2,000 adults who participated in this study, the Australian researchers found the following associations:

• Eating more cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts may be linked to a lower rate of cancer in both the distal and proximal colons.
• Eating more apples and dark yellow or orange vegetables, such as winter squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots may be linked to a lower risk of developing distal colon cancer.
• Higher total fruit and vegetable intake may be linked to a lower risk of distal colon cancer, but not proximal colon cancer or rectal cancer.
• Increased consumption of fruit juice may be linked to an increased risk of developing rectal or anal cancer.

Sources:

Annema, N. et al; "Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and the Risk of Proximal colon, Distal Colon, and Rectal Cancers in a Case-control Study in Western Australia." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 111(10):1479-1490 October 2011 Web 20 Oct 2011
http://www.adajournal.org/article/S0002-8223(11)01215-6/abstract

Science Daily: Fruits and Vegetables Reduce Risks of Specific Types of Colorectal Cancers, Study Finds 26 Sep 2011 Web 20 Oct 2011
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926083346.htm

http://www.qualityhealth.com/digestion-articles/eat-beat-bowel-cancer?ct=39995