We learned about the antioxidant power of apples at 1st period.
Let’s study “the function of the water-soluble dietary fiber of apples” that has the effect of suppressing the rise in cholesterol at 2nd period.
Apples contain a lot of “water-soluble dietary fiber” and “insoluble dietary fiber“.
In particular, “water-soluble dietary fiber” has the function of suppressing the rise in blood cholesterol and the rapid rise in blood sugar level.
In experiments with rats, the cholesterol level in the blood was lower in rats fed with water-soluble dietary fiber of apples than with food supplemented with insoluble dietary fiber.
Why does the water-soluble dietary fiber of apples lower cholesterol in the blood?
When we eat, cholesterol is absorbed from the small intestine, but water-soluble dietary fiber has the effect of suppressing the absorption of cholesterol from the small intestine.
Next, in the liver, cholesterol is used as a material to make a digestive juice called bile acid.
Bile acids are stored in the gallbladder and are secreted into the duodenum and small intestine when you eat, helping to digest fat.
Most of the bile acids used as digestive juices are then reabsorbed and returned to the liver for repeated use.
However, water-soluble dietary fiber suppresses the reabsorption of bile acids.
When bile acid reabsorption is suppressed, the liver makes bile acids from cholesterol to supplement the non-recycled bile acids.
By that amount, the cholesterol level in the blood tends to decrease.
Eat delicious apples that are high in water-soluble fiber to help regulate cholesterol and prevent illness.
Asami Maeda
Shibata Gakuen University, Faculty of life creation, Associate Professor,nuturition manager
(Specialty) Nutrition education
(Research achievements) nuturition manager,Written some books nutrition related(in Japanese)