®Factsheet

Wheat BranSuperior Fibre forDigestive Health

Fibre intakes are inadequate across the whole UK population, making this one of our few endemic nutrient deficiencies. As a result, the numbers experiencing digestive discomfort and constipation are high1. Abdominal discomfort, with or without constipation, negatively affects general wellbeing and quality of life (see Figure 1). Digestive problems have been found to be associated with higher stress levels, lethargy, low mood and subdued wellbeing2.

High IntakePoor Intake

Slow transit

Optimal stool weight& transit time

Psychologicalwellbeing

Physiologicalwellbeing

Low stool weight

Irregularity

Constipation

Digestivediscomfortsymptoms

Fibre Intake

Intestinal ill health Digestive health

FIGURE 1: THE EFFECT OF FIBRE INTAKE ON HEALTH2

In addition to personal suffering, treatment for chronic constipation attracts significant healthcare costs. Estimates are that constipation accounts for as much as 10% of the clinical workload of both hospital specialists and GP’s, and 14% of UK medication budgets5.

In the UK, stool weights are reported to be around 106g/day – much lower than the optimum of 150g/day6 required for healthy colonic function, suggesting a clear need for increased fibre intakes.

Around 43% of the UK population report suffering from digestive discomfort3,

44% report bloating and 29% report slow digestive transit and/or constipation4.

}}What is Digestive Health?Normal digestive health is difficult to define, but should feel comfortable, not bloated or sluggish, and should be without symptoms of constipation (passing of irregular, hard stools or straining). Insoluble dietary fibres, like the natural wheat bran found in Kellogg’s All-Bran, provide bulk to the stools and help to move food through the digestive system.

As fibre passes through the digestive tract it absorbs water and adds to the volume of waste. A large, soft mass is much easier to move along the digestive tract and pass out of the body7. Fibre also acts as food for intestinal bacteria, allowing them to thrive and increase bacterial mass, which ultimately ends up in stools8.

Not All Fibres are EqualAll fibres will have an effect on faecal output, but some fibres are more effective than others. A meta-analysis of more than 100 studies found wheat bran to be the most effective fibre at promoting laxation9. In fact, there is a direct cause and effect relationship between the consumption of natural wheat bran fibre, and the increase in stool bulk and intestinal transit time. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has passed two health claims for wheat bran in relation to these intestinal functions7.

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REFRENCES1. Kellogg Report. (2010). Taylor Nelson & Sofres (TNS) Research International; London; UK, 2010. 2. O’Sullivan K. (2012). The superior benefits of wheat bran fibre in digestive health. European Gastroenterology & Hepatology Review 8: 3-6. 3. YouGov, Online survey carried out in April 2010 involving a nationally representative sample of 2,287 adults (aged 18+ years) (internal report). 4. Taylor Nelson & Sofres (TNS) Research International. (2010). Internal Report to Kellogg’s Marketing & Sales (internal report). 5. Jones R. (2008). Primary care research and clinical practice: gastroenterology, Postgrad Med J. 84: 454–8. 6. Cummings JH, Bingham SA, Heaton KW et al (1992) Fecal weight, colon cancer risk and dietary intake of non-starch polysaccharides (dietary Fibre). Gastroenterology 103: 1783-1789. 7. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to wheat bran fibre and increase in faecal bulk (ID 3066), reduction in intestinal transit time (ID 828, 839, 3067, 4699) and contribution to the maintenance or achievement of a normal body weight (ID 829) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1817. [18 pp.]. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1817. Available from: www.efsa.europa.eu/efsajournal.htm. 8. Stevenson L et al. (2012). Wheat bran: its composition and benefits to health, a European perspective. Int J Food Sci & Nutrition: 2012 Early Online: 1-13. 9. Cummings JH. (1993). The effect of dietary fibre on fecal weight and composition. In: Spiller GA, CRC Handbook of Dietary Fibre in Human Nutrition. Second edition, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 263–333. 10. Bates B et al (2013) National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Results from Years 1-4 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2008/2009 – 2011/12) Department Health, London. 11. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA Journal 2010; 8(3):1462 [77 pp.]. 12. Tursi A, Papagrigoriadis S. (2009). Review article: the current and evolving treatment of diverticular disease. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 30:532-546. 13. JJenkins DJ et al. (1987). Wheat fibre and laxation: dose response and equilibrium time. Am J Gastroenterol 82: 1259-1263. 14. Lawton CL et al. (2013). Short term (14 days) consumption of insoluble wheat bran fibre-containing breakfast cereals improves subjective digestive feelings, general wellbeing and bowel function in a dose dependent manner. Nutrients 5: 1436-1455. 15. Smith A et al. (2001). High fibre breakfast cereals reduce fatigue. Appetite 37:1-3. 16. Cho S et al. (2013). Consumption of cereal fiber, mixtures of whole grains and bran, and whole grains and risk reduction in type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.067629. 17. Williams CL et al. (2012). Analysis of average daily fibre intake among ready-to-eat cereals consumers: role of wholegrain cereals in closing the fiber gap. Am J Lifestyle Med 7: 278-283.

TABLE 1: EASY SWAPS TO BOOST FIBRE AND WHEAT BRAN INTAKECompared to current intakes, the UK population would benefit from an average increase in fibre and wheat bran intake of at least 5-10g each day.

INSTEAD OF TRY INCREASE IN FIBRE INTAKE PER TYPICAL SERVING

All-Bran Original

Wholemeal spaghetti

All-Bran Breakfast Biscuits - Original

All-Bran Bran Flakes

Rice Krispies Multi-grain Shapes

Wholemeal bread

Digestive biscuits

10.1g

6.6g

3.0g

3.0g

2.2g

2.8g/2 slices

0.6g/2 biscuits

Swapping white for wholemeal varieties of pastry, all breads, scones and flour is likely to increase fibre intakes.

Source: DietPlan v6.70 Forest Field Software (McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods (Sixth Edition)) and brand websites (e.g. Kellogg’s, grocery retailers etc)

Note: All fibre values used in this document refer to AOAC figures

Cornflakes

White spaghetti

Standard Breakfast Biscuits

Multi-grain flakes

Puffed rice

White bread

Rich Tea biscuits

How Much Fibre is Recommended?Eight out of ten adults in the UK aged 19 and above fail to eat enough fibre with average intakes of just 18g/day (17g/day for women and 20g/day for males)10. The EFSA recommended intake for fibre is 25g/day11 – a significant increase for most people. Increasing fibre intake remains the core feature of lifestyle advice for individuals with symptoms of digestive discomfort12. In terms of wheat bran, studies suggest that an increase of as little as 5g per day can begin to reduce symptoms associated with sluggishness and digestive discomfort13, and the EFSA health claims for transit and stool bulk assume intakes of 10g wheat bran per day7.

How Can Wheat Bran Help?Wheat bran is the outer coating, or husk, of the cereal grain. Digestive comfort is linked to overall positive wellbeing, and constipation has been associated with mental health problems, reduced energy levels and lower mood2. Interventions to boost fibre intakes using natural wheat bran (usually Kellogg’s All-Bran) have shown that within a few days, ratings of fatigue, stress, physical tiredness, sluggishness, mental tiredness, daily bowel activity, bloating and feeling fat all improve significantly14, 15.In addition, the American Society for Nutrition recently undertook a comprehensive literature review and concluded that there is reasonable evidence that consumption of foods rich in cereal fibre and wheat bran is as-sociated with reduced levels of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease16. The benefits of increasing wheat bran intake appear to extend well beyond digestive health.

Selecting Foods High in Fibre and Wheat BranThe fibre content of foods is usually listed on the nutrition panel on food packaging. The EFSA has set guidelines that state that foods that contain at least 3g fibre/100g can be labelled as a source of fibre, and those with 6g/100g or more can be labelled as high in fibre. Looking out for these claims on packaging can be a quick and easy way to identify the fibre content of a food product, as well as checking the nutrition panel for more detailed information. Wholegrain foods are sometimes mistakenly assumed to be high in fibre, which is often not the case. A comparison of wholegrain cereals with fibre contents more or less than 3g fibre/100g shows that individuals who usually choose wholegrain cereals with more than 3g fibre/100g consume 42% more fibre at breakfast and 14% more total dietary fibre compared to those usually choosing wholegrain cereals with a lower fibre content17. Looking for a high fibre flash or checking the nutrition panel is the only reliable way to judge a food’s fibre content.

© Kellogg Company 2014

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