{"id":209002,"date":"2025-10-13T04:33:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T04:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/209002\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T04:33:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T04:33:07","slug":"scientists-crack-code-on-how-dietary-fiber-shields-your-body-from-harmful-sugar-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/209002\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists crack code on how dietary fiber shields your body from harmful sugar damage"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new UC Irvine study may have finally uncovered how dietary fiber<\/a> protects the body from sugar\u2019s damage, and how protecting yourself starts in the gut.<\/p>\n

Researchers at the UCI School of Medicine found that inulin, a naturally occurring fiber found in vegetables like onions, garlic and artichokes, can reshape the bacteria living in\u00a0your gut\u00a0<\/a>to stop fructose before it hits your liver.<\/p>\n

Researchers at the UCI School of Medicine found that inulin, a naturally occurring fiber found in vegetables like onions, garlic and artichokes, can reshape the bacteria living in\u00a0your gut\u00a0to stop fructose before it hits your liver. olindana \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Various types of onions in a burlap sack. Printemps \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The findings, published in Nature Metabolism, reveal a new level of protection\u00a0offered by fiber,\u00a0not just in digestion, but in how the body handles sugar at the molecular level. Witoon \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found that consuming a type of dietary fiber called inulin<\/a>\u2026 changes the bacteria in the gut to promote the consumption of harmful dietary fructose,\u201d said lead researcher Cholsoon Jang, PhD, of UCI\u2019s Nutrient Metabolism & Disease Lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The findings, published in Nature Metabolism, reveal a new level of protection\u00a0offered by fiber,\u00a0<\/a>not just in digestion, but in how the body handles sugar at the molecular level.<\/p>\n

Jang and his team discovered that when people eat fructose (a common sugar in fruit and sweetened foods) gut bacteria in the small intestine can metabolize it before it reaches the liver. But without enough fiber, too much fructose \u201cspills over,\u201d overwhelming the liver and triggering fat buildup.<\/p>\n

By feeding\u00a0gut bacteria<\/a>\u00a0with inulin, researchers found that the microbes essentially burn through fructose early, preventing that cascade of damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even more striking, once these bacteria were \u201cprimed\u201d by inulin, they were able to reverse signs of fatty liver disease, reducing fat accumulation and boosting the liver\u2019s natural antioxidants.<\/p>\n

Jang says the research proves not all calories are created equal.<\/p>\n

He says their work gives \u201cinsight into how fiber protects our health from harmful nutrients like fructose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study focused on non-obese participants: people who might otherwise slip under the radar yet still face hidden risks from high-sugar diets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By feeding\u00a0gut bacteria\u00a0with inulin, researchers found that the microbes essentially burn through fructose early, preventing that cascade of damage.\u00a0 sorapop \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Jang says the research proves not all calories are created equal. bit24 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Jang noted that metabolic damage isn\u2019t limited to those who are overweight. Even people who appear healthy can experience liver stress and insulin resistance if their gut microbes aren\u2019t equipped to handle excess fructose.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy identifying specific gut bacteria and metabolic pathways involved, our findings can guide personalized nutrition strategies,\u201d Jang said.<\/p>\n

He added that future research will explore whether other common fibers beyond inulin <\/a>can trigger similar protective effects.<\/p>\n

Fresh raw artichokes, lemons, garlic, and spring onions on a cutting board. barmalini \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The implications stretch far beyond the lab. If certain fibers can train gut microbes to neutralize sugar before it harms the liver, it could open the door to new treatments for fatty liver disease,\u00a0diabetes,\u00a0obesity<\/a> and even cancer.<\/p>\n

For now, researchers explain that the findings indicate that fiber not only aids digestion but can be a defender of metabolic health.<\/p>\n

As Jang put it: \u201cFor example, by checking how well someone\u2019s gut bacteria clears fructose before the body absorbs it, we can choose the right prebiotic or probiotic supplement for that person to improve results and reduce side effects.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new UC Irvine study may have finally uncovered how dietary fiber protects the body from sugar\u2019s damage,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,7714,2985,8758,84,14591,890,16164,395,1229],"class_list":{"0":"post-209002","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cancer","11":"tag-diabetes","12":"tag-diets","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-holistic-medicine","15":"tag-lifestyle","16":"tag-medical-care","17":"tag-nutrition","18":"tag-obesity"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}