The consumption of foods rich in dietary fiber is beneficial for health, not only because it regulates intestinal transit and helps fight constipation without the need to resort to drugs, but also because it fulfills various functions in the body – such as increasing the feeling of satiety and thus preventing obesity, or favoring the presence of beneficial intestinal bacteria – and contributes to modulating immune responses that can curb the inflammation associated with many diseases.
In fact, new research has found that diets rich in guar gum (guaran) – a widely used food additive in India and authorized in the European Union to thicken, emulsify and stabilize foods that is extracted from gua seeds and has a high fiber content – reduce inflammation and delay the onset of symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice. The study has been carried out by members of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and has been published in Cell Reports.
The purified fiber of guar gum has the appearance of a whitish powder that, when mixed with water, generates a tasteless and odorless gel with a viscous appearance, which is used, among other things, in juices, ice creams, cheeses, sausages, sauces and even food for pets. It has the ability to capture water, swell and expand in the intestine, in such a way that it produces a feeling of satiety, while delaying the absorption of carbohydrates and reducing the glycemic index of foods.
The type of diet influences our immune response
“The rapid increase in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders in industrialized countries in recent decades indicates that dietary choices are an environmental factor contributing to incidence,” said Dr. Lisa Osborne, principal investigator of the study and assistant professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UBC, which adds: “Dietary fibers are potent modulators of immune responses and can control inflammation in multiple diseases, but they are a biochemically very diverse family. Our study gives us a clearer window into the potential of various fiber sources to support immune health.”
“Dietary fibers are powerful modulators of immune responses and can control inflammation in multiple diseases”, including multiple sclerosis
Dr. Osborne and her team gave several groups of mice different diets: a control diet containing 5% cellulose fiber, a diet containing no dietary fiber, or diets enriched (30%) with resistant starch fiber, inulin, pectin or guar gum. Guar gum was the only type of fiber that significantly minimized MS-like symptoms.
After the microbiota of the mice breaks down the chewing gum, it seems that the resulting molecules decrease the activity and proliferation of a type of CD4+ T cells, the Th1 cells, which play a fundamental role in the activation of the autoimmune response, and it is that response that leads to symptoms resembling those of multiple sclerosis in mice. The effects of fiber on Th1 cells were poorly understood prior to this study, and their findings suggest that biochemical differences in fiber structures may influence various immune pathways.
Experts recommend eating between 25 and 30 grams of dietary fiber per day, although they do not indicate any specific type of fiber. Dr. Osborne explains that “incorporating guar beans could be challenging at the doses we gave the mice,” “but a derivative of guar gum, partially hydrolyzed guar gum, is commercially available as a prebiotic.”
The next goal for Dr. Osborne and her colleagues is to investigate the potential benefits of guar fiber in humans, which may contribute to developing therapies that provide the same benefits of guar-rich diets in a more practical and easy to get.
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