It’s time for another MYTHBUSTER with Dr. B!
MYTH: Fiber passes right through us.
FACT: Fiber is an incredibly complex nutrient that humans lack the ability to process on our own.
Let’s break it down.
We’ve been taught that fiber goes in one way and comes out another. 🤭 Technically, yes, this is true. But what happens along the way is a whole entire process!
We have enzymes called glycoside hydrolases that help us break down complex carbs in our bodies. Humans have 17 varieties of these enzymes. Sounds great, it’s shockingly weak. None of these 17 enzymes we have are equipped to break down larger molecules like fiber!
So what actually happens then? How does fiber get broken down?
Answer: The gut microbes 🙌🙌🙌
A single celled bacteria could have HUNDREDS of glycoside hydrolases. Taken in sum among your 38 trillion gut microbes, there are upwards of 60,000 enzymes in the gut to help you process fiber. Our gut microbes use these glycoside hydrolases like tools to unpack and break down the fiber, and guess what we magically end up with at the end of it… short chain fatty acids!
In case you missed my book Chapter 3 is basically my love letter to short chain fatty acids. I’m obsessed with them. And I think/hope/desperately need those SCFAs to feel the same about me. I’m pretty sure they do, but I’m waiting on a love letter back.
Moral of the myth: It takes a village to get fiber through our bodies. But when we eat lots of rainbows and fresh produce, we’re only aiding our bodies during this process!