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All Fibers May Not Be Created Equal |
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by Elena Conis
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From the L.A. Times
 If your diet lacks fiber, it's your own fault. High levels of the
cholesterol-lowering, regularity-inducing substance can now be found in
many breads, pastas, cereals – even yogurts, cakes and juices.
Some foods, such as whole wheat bread, are naturally high in
fiber. A growing number of products, however, proudly proclaim their
high-fiber content, such as Arnold's Double Fiber Bread and Yoplait's
Fiber One yogurt, getting some or all of their fiber from so-called
isolated or functional fibers – ingredients with names like inulin,
maltodextrin and polydextrose – that manufacturers intentionally add
to foods to boost total fiber content.
Whether these isolated fibers have all of the same health benefits as the naturally occurring ones remains to be seen.
"We just don't know if they all act the same," says Jennifer Nelson,
director of clinical dietetics and nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minn. "They have not necessarily been studied to see if
they're beneficial."
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