Daily Dietary Fibre
The World Health Organisation identified a high intake of fibre as the only dietary component with the "convincing evidence" required to protect against weight gain and obesity56.
Fibre's ability to increase satiety and therefore decrease subsequent hunger, along with altering the secretion of hormones related to food digestion, are likely mechanisms49.
More evidence showing fibre’s ability to help with weight management involved adolescents who increased their fibre intake by an average of 3 grams over a two-year period had significant decreases in the amount of fat around their waists, while young people whose fibre intake fell by an average of 3 grams saw their bellies expand.
Tummy fat increased 21 per cent for those who ate less fibre, while those who increased their fibre intake had a 4 per cent reduction in tummy fat11.
In addition, recent findings from two human studies55,7 that Resistant Starch has the ability to reduce appetite and increase satiety - or the feeling of fullness. These studies provide important support for fibre's ability to prevent weight gain, as does the capacity for Resistant Starch to increase fat oxidation20.
Fibre Comparisons Table
* Source: Food Australia, June 1996. Per 70g serve (2 slices)
^ Source: serve size from Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, 1998, Fruit=150g: fibre content from NUTTAB 2006
† Serving size 30g and fibre content from NUTTAB 2006
What is Resistant Starch?
Essentially, there are 3 main forms of dietary fibre:
- Soluble Fibre
- Insoluble Fibre
- Resistant Starch
While most of us know about soluble and insoluble fibre, Resistant Starch is relatively new to the fibre family. The key for optimal digestive health is to have all three types of fibre every day.
First identified in 198212, Resistant Starch is included in the dietary fibre definition used by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and is widely acknowledged within the scientific community as having valuable health benefits.
While most starches are digested and absorbed into the body through the small intestine, some resist digestion and pass through to the large intestine where they act like dietary fibre to improve bowel health. This type of starch is called 'Resistant Starch'.
Technically, Resistant Starch is defined as:
"Total amount of starch and the products of starch degradation that resists digestion in the small intestine of healthy people"1.
Starches that are not broken down in the small intestine pass through to the large intestine (bowel) where they are broken down (fermented) by the healthy bacteria that are naturally present leading to a number of positive changes - including:
- Beneficially increasing stool bulk giving a mild laxitive effect which promotes 'regularity'40.
- Encouraging the growth of healthy bacteria in the bowel - the 'prebiotic effect'51.
- Producing compounds called short chain fatty acids (in particular butyrate) which promote intestinal health54.
- Maintaining healthy blood sugar by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin44.
What is Hi-Maize®?
Hi-Maize® is a unique natural form of dietary fibre called Resistant Starch.
You may have heard about soluble and insoluble fibre but Resistant Starch is a more recently discovered form of fibre and Hi-Maize® is one of the richest natural sources of Resistant Starch27.
Other foods containing Resistant Starch include cooked then cooled pasta, rice and potatoes and legumes like baked beans.
Grown and milled in Australia from a unique variety of corn, Hi-Maize® is a totally natural form of dietary fibre added invisibly to Wonder White® to give more fibre than regular mixed grain bread. Regular mixed grain bread contains 4.8g of fibre per 100g* , whilst Wonder White® which contains a minimum of 6.0g of fibre per 100g.
Hi-Maize® maintains a healthy digestive system in 3 important ways:
- Helps keeps you regular32
- Nurtures the growth of the friendly bacteria we need for a healthy digestive system53
- Produces protective compounds in the bowel40
Hi-Maize® is a Prebiotic
Foods that help friendly bacteria to grow and flourish in the colon are called Prebiotics16. Hi-Maize® acts as a prebiotic, feeding the friendly bacteria and boosting their activity51.
For more information on the health and nutritional benefits of Hi-Maize®,
visit http://www.hi-maize.com
