Liver health and function are tied to an intricate web that comprises the gut microbiome, absorption, transport, end products of metabolism, and kidney. Indeed, the liver does it all, and sometimes it needs help. Multiple treatments to detoxify the liver, or better said: decrease reactive oxygen species, eliminate end products of metabolism and promote clearance of toxins, have been announced as part of a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, how detox protocols, including dietary fiber work and what they are comprised of, are explained below.
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Dietary fiber is a big part of any detox program since it elicits multiple gut benefits that promote positive physiologic effects. Some of these positive effects have been seen in patients dealing with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The physiological effects of dietary fiber include:
However, gut health and microbiome regulation are essential contributors to nutrient management and detoxificationโs physiology and biochemistry. Also, this concept is called the gut-liver axis and gut-kidney axis.
Dietary fiber (DF) is a term that comprises a wide variety of non-digestible carbohydrates. Besides, the Institute of Medicine has categorized DF into two main categories:
1.-ย Dietary fiber, non-digestible carbohydrates that can be found in plants as lignin.
2.- Functional fiber, isolated and non-digestible carbohydrates that provide beneficial effects in humans.
Other categories like viscosity, solubility, and susceptibility to fermentation are proposed in dietary fiber classification. These categories are descriptive of the structure and function.
Viscosity is a more suitable term than solubility because it is a better predictor of physiologic outcomes. Consequently, dietary fiberโs gel-forming ability is difficult to establish since it depends on the fiberโs pH, temperature, and concentration. On the other hand, fermentation susceptibility by gut microbiota separates into fermentable and non-fermentable. This characteristic is defined by the DFโs capacity to produce SCFA from the fecesโ disappearance of fiber.
Once again, dietary fiber classification is difficult since variations regarding structure, glycosidic linkages, polymerization, and substitution degree.
Dietary fiber comes in all types of viscosity, and fermentation capabilities, also it is ubiquitously included in multiple fresh foods and vegetables.
The gut has two vital actions involved in transport and absorption. The first one is allowing the nutrients to enter the body while avoiding the entrance of harmful substances. Also, the gut microbiota contributes excellently to the metabolism of several nutrients. The word โmicrobiotaโ refers to archaea, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that live symbiotically in our gut. Despite being comprised of many organisms, bacteria are the most studied modulators of the microbiota.
These studies conclude that microbial genes can expand the hostโs metabolic potential by providing enzymes, which can fermentate DF. This genome is not fixed as the human, and it can be ever-changing depending on the amount of DF, dietary patterns, disease, stress, exercise, and environmental exposures.
Dietary fiber intake can induce an up-regulation of globet cells and induce the production of mucins. Mucin is found in mucus along with ions, proteins antibodies, antimicrobial peptides, and bacteria. Nevertheless, mucusโs primary function is to lubricate to ease the transit of digested food, reduce mechanical stress produced by this transportation, and prevent the translocation of harmful substances. In conclusion, mucus provides an extra layer of protection to gut epithelial cells that promotes beneficial bacteria growth.
Since the gut harbors approximately 70-80& of the bodyโs immune cells, it is also the major source of inflammation resulting in NAFLD and CKD conditions. DFโs functional immunomodulatory activities have associated fructooligosaccharides FOS), arabinoxylans, and B-glucans with an increased level of IgA. Consequently, IgA plays an important role in maintaining gut barrier function by binding to microbes and preventing adhesion and translocation of bacteria across the gut barrier.
In recent studies, the supplementation of 150-mM of SCFA in mice resulted in an up-regulation of T-cells. Furthermore, this increase in T-cells is linked to reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines. However, the underlying factor is the gene expression inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 (HDA6) and (HDA9).
The liver is the target organ of every gut-derived factor induced by the microbiome and dietary changes. It also receives all the blood circulation from the gut via the portal vein. It has been proposed that the hepatic effects of DF can influence microbiome ecology, thus improving gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and gut-derived hormone signals. Also, a higher intake of fiber has been linked to reduced translocation of bacterial LPS. This can ultimately influence the hepatic exposure of pro-inflammatory products derived from the gut.
Furthermore, this reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine exposure is vital to diminish the risk of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Conversely, hepatic antioxidant enzymes as hepatic and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and catalase concentration raise in the presence of high dietary fiber intake. Also, DF is associated with an up-regulation on the expression of detoxifying enzymes like cytochrome p450 1A2.
Dietary fiber is tightly linked to body composition management, weight loss, and glucose control. A body composition assessment is a vital part of any nutritional intervention
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The detoxifying action of dietary fiber is a fact (and by detoxifying we mean epithelial protection, exclusion of harmful pathogens, antioxidant enzyme up-regulation, and promotion of cytochrome p450). Detox is not a magic word, is a term that comprises multiple biochemical actions that in turn ease antioxidant processes, detoxifying actions and promote gut health. These aforementioned mechanisms promote a sense of well-being. The intake of dietary fiber contributed tremendously to the promotion of health, through liver and gut detox. Sadly, the average dietary fiber intake in America is 15 grams, barely half of the recommended 30 grams/day of DF, from foods. Sometimes, energy restriction or dietary preferences might make it difficult to acquire the 30g/day of DF target, this is when supplementation is recommended.-Ana Paola R. Arciniega. Master in Clinical Nutrition.
Parnell, Jill A., et al. โThe potential role of prebiotic fiber for treatment and management of nonโalcoholic fatty liver disease and associated obesity and insulin resistance.โ Liver Internationalย 32.5 (2012): 701-711.
Sun, Yvonne, and Mary XD OโRiordan. โRegulation of bacterial pathogenesis by intestinal short-chain fatty acids.โย Advances in applied microbiology. Vol. 85. Academic Press, 2013. 93-118.
Sun, Yvonne, and Mary XD OโRiordan. โRegulation of bacterial pathogenesis by intestinal short-chain fatty acids.โย Advances in applied microbiology. Vol. 85. Academic Press, 2013. 93-118.
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The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal systemโs injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact usย 915-850-0900.ย ย Read Moreโฆ
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, CTG*
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phone: 915-850-0900
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Professional Scope of Practice *
The information herein on "Dietary Fiber and Liver Detox" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
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Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
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