I am a food scientist specializing in gut health and fibers. AMA.

[tubby]

Pretty much the title. My PhD was in novel food innovation and I have been working on developing new dietary, prebiotic fibers for diverse gut health for a few years now.

In what sense are you "developing" new fibers? Are we talking chemically processing and modifying existing fibers, synthesizing new structures, studying fibers from less commonly eaten plants, or perhaps exploring fiber blends? You mention a focus on commercial application (rather than pure research) so I'm guessing it would need to be something that can be patented or otherwise protected VS studying less common plants, which presumably would lack such protection and competitors could duplicate your formulations.

You also mention fiber in the context of a food matrix, which seems to imply retaining the food's natural structure (VS simply mixing in a fiber supplement to existing food). Am I correct in inferring that or is there technology where an effective matrix can be recreated in processed foods, slowing absorption/digestion? I know simply mixing in fiber can achieve that do a degree, but you specifically referred to matrices, which caught my eye.

 

[tendency]

Is it ok to eat a couple tablespoons of psyllium husk daily? What are the 'best' fibers for gut health?

 

[lastresort]

I eat a ketogenic diet and I am almost completely 'fart free', I have no bad excrement and I feel good with consistent levels of energy.

I do have a little yoghurt and kimchi daily and sometimes eat keto bread but it's hard to justify it daily given how it costs more than a whole pound of pastured meat.

I make my keto bread. I have been develoing it over 7 years on my own, completely independent of my job.

A meta analysis has been done recently on various types of diet (low carb/high protein, high protein/high carb, high caarb/high fat, high protein/low fat), and what the researchers found is that the lack of fiber was a common denominator for poor health. If you eat enough fiber then you should be fine.

 

[tubby]

A meta analysis has been done recently on various types of diet (low carb/high protein, high protein/high carb, high caarb/high fat, high protein/low fat)

FWIW, those studies are slightly more controversial than one would expect at first glance. Although the concept sounds great, the reality is that there aren't that many actual low-carb studies to pull data from. The underlying studies are typically more like "let's study reducing carbs from 50% of calories to 30% of calories," which while clinically interesting doesn't really inform on the actual results one would obtain from a low-carb diet. That's not to say I have a strong opinion on the matter, other than to note the lack of significant modern research into low-carb and keto diets.

 

[lastresort]

I know I am not the expert here, but psyllium husk is interesting, it is the only fiber I know of that can actually reduce diarrhoea. And there are a few scientific papers on the subject. Having ulcerative colitis in "remission" but with ongoing symptoms, plus or minus ibs-d, it actually worked, and probably reduced pain as well, until the GLP drugs slowed my gut down to the point where it caused constipation, and I had to stop it.

But it could be useful for those with GLP induced diarrhoea which is fairly common.

PH is interesting. Its a glucuruono-arabinoxylan which is insoluble, unfermentable fiber. However it still can change your gut population.

In what sense are you "developing" new fibers? Are we talking chemically processing and modifying existing fibers, synthesizing new structures, studying fibers from less commonly eaten plants, or perhaps exploring fiber blends? You mention a focus on commercial application (rather than pure research) so I'm guessing it would need to be something that can be patented or otherwise protected VS studying less common plants, which presumably would lack such protection and competitors could duplicate your formulations.

You also mention fiber in the context of a food matrix, which seems to imply retaining the food's natural structure (VS simply mixing in a fiber supplement to existing food). Am I correct in inferring that or is there technology where an effective matrix can be recreated in processed foods, slowing absorption/digestion? I know simply mixing in fiber can achieve that do a degree, but you specifically referred to matrices, which caught my eye.

Our company does not synthesize in a chemical sense. No organic synthesis, brute forced acid hydrolysis or grafting, or recombinant bacteria-assisted precision fermentation.

There are a few ways to modify existing fibers without harsh chemical or GMO/recombinant biotech.

You bring a good point about patents- however, patents are not just about method themselves but physicochemical characteristics of the products. I am not a legal expert in writing patents, though we just started writing one. We do competitive intelligence landscape to ensure we don't infringe on existing, active patents.

When I say food matrices, I meant that the fibers have to be consumed without compromising consumer acceptance because texture, color and taaste are so important in this space. The reason inulin, fructo-oligosaccharide, or "soluble corn fiber" (resistant maltodextrin) are so popular is that they are flavorless, CHEAP, colorless, low viscosity and highly soluble. Most other fibers are expensive or so viscous that they drasitcally change the food structure. I have to ensure that my prototypes are easily incorporated into intended food applications such as ready-to-mix or ready-to-eat. We can't sell it as a pill or capsule because then it's no longer a food ingredient....there is a fine rope walking between supplements and food ingredients when you sell this kind of ingredient.

 

[lastresort]

FWIW, those studies are slightly more controversial than one would expect at first glance. Although the concept sounds great, the reality is that there aren't that many actual low-carb studies to pull data from. The underlying studies are typically more like "let's study reducing carbs from 50% of calories to 30% of calories," which while clinically interesting doesn't really inform on the actual results one would obtain from a low-carb diet. That's not to say I have a strong opinion on the matter, other than to note the lack of significant modern research into low-carb and keto diets.

yeah that's my complaint about keto diet studies, too. Because keto diet is only defined as high-fat-low-carb diet, people do it in all kind of ways...you can't expect same health outcomes from someone who eats steak and bacon all day versus someone who eats avocado, spinach, lean chicken.

 

[lastresort]

Is it ok to eat a couple tablespoons of psyllium husk daily? What are the 'best' fibers for gut health?

See my response IronCircuit.

What are the "worst" food products for guts microflora? I believe these are all kinds of fast food and highly processed products, but maybe there's something else I do not know about?

I don't know. If there is a singular source that can destroy our gut, that sholdn't be considered food lmao.

It all comes down to habits, but studies consistently report that high-fat and high sugar diet reduce "good" bacteria and increase "bad" bacteria (i.e. proteobacteria). But honestly it is more accurate to say that lack of fiber is a cause, not so much fat and sugar themselves.

 

[Pin&Play]

Super interesting thread, I leave my questions here if you're so kind to give me your take:

- I suspect SIBO might be the cause of my Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). What's the best way to test it? I always suffered from bloating and constipation since I was a kid, now 20 years later things are better but I still get IBS especially when traveling (bloating + headache almost every long flight), could it be related?

- I started having a 200mL of milk kefir + chia seeds and I had big improvement on bowel movements. Is there a "right" amount of probiotics? Adding variety (es. kimchi) is always better?

 

[homebrew]

Looking for Green Banana resistant starches, I see lots of organic banana flour and organic green banana flour. Are the flours the same as the powders, or do I need to specifically buy "resistant starch" green banana?

 

[lastresort]

Super interesting thread, I leave my questions here if you're so kind to give me your take:

- I suspect SIBO might be the cause of my Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). What's the best way to test it? I always suffered from bloating and constipation since I was a kid, now 20 years later things are better but I still get IBS especially when traveling (bloating + headache almost every long flight), could it be related?

- I started having a 200mL of milk kefir + chia seeds and I had big improvement on bowel movements. Is there a "right" amount of probiotics? Adding variety (es. kimchi) is always better?

I am not qualified to give any medical advice.

But bloating and constipations are general but persistent symptoms of people with compromised gut. Have you tried talking with doctors? What did they say?

IBS is tricky because one cause could be a total absence of butyric-acid producing bacteria that cannot be supplemented because anaerobic bacteria just can't be sold as probiotics. Prebiotic is kinda pointless in such case.

There is no way to quantify "right" amount of probiotics because no one knows how much of the probiotics will successfully colonize your gut, and what your baseline gut bacteria population is. However, what you are doing seems to be working since kefir has quite a diverse probiotics other than lactic acid bacteria, and chia seeds have polysaccharides that gel in water, which could help with stool. Have you tried oat brans?

If you want to try kimchi, try to find white kimchi from korean markets since it is less spicy.

 

[lastresort]

Looking for Green Banana resistant starches, I see lots of organic banana flour and organic green banana flour. Are the flours the same as the powders, or do I need to specifically buy "resistant starch" green banana?

Green banana flour is what you need to look for.

Organic banana flour is probably just ripe bananas dried and ground, which is probably tastier but less in fiber.

 

[Pin&Play]

I am not qualified to give any medical advice.

But bloating and constipations are general but persistent symptoms of people with compromised gut. Have you tried talking with doctors? What did they say?

IBS is tricky because one cause could be a total absence of butyric-acid producing bacteria that cannot be supplemented because anaerobic bacteria just can't be sold as probiotics. Prebiotic is kinda pointless in such case.

There is no way to quantify "right" amount of probiotics because no one knows how much of the probiotics will successfully colonize your gut, and what your baseline gut bacteria population is. However, what you are doing seems to be working since kefir has quite a diverse probiotics other than lactic acid bacteria, and chia seeds have polysaccharides that gel in water, which could help with stool. Have you tried oat brans?

If you want to try kimchi, try to find white kimchi from korean markets since it is less spicy.

I've never spoke with doctors about bloating/IBS, as you say it's such a general symptom that I'd rather evaluate all the options myself and maybe speak with a specialist when I have a clearer idea.

But yes implementing fibers made a huge difference.

Even though in the last 3 months I've been using Tirzepatide, BPC and KPV and I believe those played a role too.

 

[anhydrous]

Green banana flour is what you need to look for.

Organic banana flour is probably just ripe bananas dried and ground, which is probably tastier but less in fiber.

Do you think that plantain flour is equal to green banana flour? Also how much of this stuff do you think a person should consume?

 

[lastresort]

I have not looked into it but a cursory look from here (see table 1) shows that plantain flour can contain up to 50% resistant starch. There is, however, no guarantee that it will have similar microbiome or health impacts as green banana flours.

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

Pretty much the title. My PhD was in novel food innovation and I have been working on developing new dietary, prebiotic fibers for diverse gut health for a few years now.

It's thursday evening and I am bored. Ask me almost anything.

What’s your opinion on beans as a source of fiber. I have seen some anti-inflammatory diets that say to avoid beans.

But I always make dried beans (mostly black) and soak overnight to minimize the lectins.

I would be interested in your opinion

 

[lastresort]

What’s your opinion on beans as a source of fiber. I have seen some anti-inflammatory diets that say to avoid beans.

But I always make dried beans (mostly black) and soak overnight to minimize the lectins.

I would be interested in your opinion

Beans are alright. The fibers in beans are typically cellulose, fructans some arabinoxylan, rapidly fermenting raffinose/stachyose/verbascose. I wouldn't put describe them as great though as they can give bad fart.
Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins. They degrade with heat and shold have little to no impacts on you. I heard about lectin free diet before but never read actual literature on it.

 

[dancs]

Wtf... I thought I was smart....












Until I started reading this thread......










Then I got smarter.

 

[dancs]

I am relatively new to peptides myself so I only have experiences with a few.

We know how smart you are, but I appreciate your honesty regarding the lack of knowledge/experience in peptides/compounds. 👏 👏

 

[Smiter]

Okay, I came here as a last resort. I am at the end of my tether. There is a person in my vicinity, and there is a gargantuan crisis. This person suffers from overpowering flatulence. No, I mean it is a global threat. The hydrogen sulfide emitted can cause acid rain in Virginia.

When I was in Toronto for six years, the weather was warmer than ever. Nobody could explain why, but I knew. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Now, none of that weak sauce stuff like carrot fibers. This person's favorite vegetable is carrots, and they can consume an entire field of carrots as if 10,000 Spartan rabbits were unleashed upon it.

So, I need you to 🆙 your game and come up with the ultimate nullifier. I wanna go John Wick on the ass. I'm talking Fatality, Brutality, and Flawless Victory all rolled into one. This is my last resort. No quarter given, no surrender, just total annihilation.

What fibers hold the secret to this catastrophe-extinguisher?🤷‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙇‍♂️

 

[lastresort]

Okay, I came here as a last resort. I am at the end of my tether. There is a person in my vicinity, and there is a gargantuan crisis. This person suffers from overpowering flatulence. No, I mean it is a global threat. The hydrogen sulfide emitted can cause acid rain in Virginia.

When I was in Toronto for six years, the weather was warmer than ever. Nobody could explain why, but I knew. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Now, none of that weak sauce stuff like carrot fibers. This person's favorite vegetable is carrots, and they can consume an entire field of carrots as if 10,000 Spartan rabbits were unleashed upon it.

So, I need you to 🆙 your game and come up with the ultimate nullifier. I wanna go John Wick on the ass. I'm talking Fatality, Brutality, and Flawless Victory all rolled into one. This is my last resort. No quarter given, no surrender, just total annihilation.

What fibers hold the secret to this catastrophe-extinguisher?🤷‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙇‍♂️

sounds like the person should completely purge his gut flora and get a fecal transplant from a healthy person lol.

 

[Smiter]

sounds like the person should completely purge his gut flora and get a fecal transplant from a healthy person lol.

Ok, great... How does one do that?

 

[AgingRegenDamaged]

Ok, great... How does one do that?

Medically this may involve antibiotics..

Back around 2013 I was working very long hours and became overweight for the first time because I had a poor diet with lots of carbs from indulgent trips to waitrose or marks and sparks and consequently low energy, horrendously stinky pooping heralded by equally bad farting.

I went to the original detox fasting spa on Koh Samui and did a 17 day fast with twice daily self-administered colonic irrigation.

The only thing you swallowed was a broth, coconut water to maintain electrolyte levels, herbal cleansing suppliments and water. Day four was the nadir for me, I had on day three been lucid and charming to my dining companion who was doing a light semi-fast and they thought I was mentally ill or taking drugs that day.

At day 5 I was much recovered and at days 15 to 17 I was passing some pretty weird shit out of me that was in no way normal faecal matter.

Hunger ceased to be an issue very quickly and I was in a very contemplative and relaxed state for most of the time, despite the gruesomeness of the colonic irrigation which you quickly adapt to because you are never cold in Thailand so your muscles naturally relax.

After the fast I never felt more energetic or balanced only rivalled by eating keto. No more stinky pooing, no more stinky farts. Eating healthy was effortless afterwards.

Link below to the spa but it has passed out of private ownership since I was there and the uphill annexed resort I stayed in with the tiny cabins has sadly gone but things change. I am sure you can find similar places for cheaper if you look.

The Spa Resorts

Welcome to The Spa Resorts Thailand’s Original Wellness Retreat Since 1992 Discover the healing power of nature in the heart of Koh Samui. a healthy holiday Leave stress behind and reconnect with what matters most — your health and peace of mind. Join us for a transformative wellness retreat or...

thesparesorts.com

 

[lastresort]

Ok, great... How does one do that?

I don't know lol. I havent seen one in action. But it has been done in case studies where doctors literally get a scoop of poo from healthy person and somehow insert it into a person with IBS. I can't recall the exact process.