Closing the dietary fiber gap with soluble fiber

It's no secret that the American diet has been severely devoid of dietary fiber for decades. Americans consume about half of the daily Dietary Reference Intakes: 38g for males and 25g for females. Interestingly, it’s something we're well aware of – recent Tate & Lyle research found that 47 percent of consumers say they need more fiber in their diet. Without sufficient fiber, digestion and absorption of nutrients is stymied, and cholesterol and glucose levels may be negatively affected.

"It's the one macronutrient for which we fall short of our daily needs," said Steven Young, Ph.D., principal of consulting firm Steven Young Worldwide, and the North American Technical Advisor to FIBERSOL-2. "On top of that, all the recent recommendations are trying to get the daily value of dietary fiber bumped up over the current daily value. I call it the fiber gap, and it’s only getting larger."

This gap is about more than healthy digestion. A recent study published February in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that dietary fiber may reduce the risk of deathfrom cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases. The study found that those who consumed the highest amount of fiber were 22 percent less likely to die over a nine-year period compared to people who consumed the least amount of fiber.

Thankfully, the days of manufacturing unpleasant-tasting fiber products are over. Applications have jumped from insoluble forms of high-fiber cereals and baked goods into invisible, soluble additions in beverages and dairy. Technological developments have made it more economical to produce these high-fiber products minus the awkward colors, tastes and textures.

"Consumers don’t know the difference between soluble fibers and insoluble fibers. For them, they just want fiber in their diet," said Pashen Black, Tate & Lyle's marketing communications manager for the Americas. Tate & Lyle regularly performs consumer research on its PROMITOR Resistant Starch and Soluble Corn Fiber.