HEALTH TIP from Dr. Vliet: TruFiber™Lean

I am excited to introduce another incredible product to help your healthy weight loss efforts for improved fat loss, while preserving lean mass and bone: TruFiber™ Lean.

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Last week’s health tip on TruProbiotic™ Lean described the beneficial effects of combining specific probiotics with fiber in your diet. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in the gut, serving as a prebiotic. When prebiotics are added to probiotics, they are called symbiotics. Together, TruFiber™ Lean and TruProbiotic™ Lean support not only weight loss but more importantly loss of excess fat.

Glucomannan is a natural soluble fiber derived from Japanese amorphophallus konjac, a tuberous plant known for its viscosity and stability through the digestive tract. Not all glucomannans are created equal, because there are many aspects of glucomannan that affect end-product quality: the species of konjac used, the harvesting location, the time of harvesting, the production process, impurities (e.g., sulfites and others), the response of the viscosity to different pH levels and temperatures, and hydration speed. For these reasons, when you buy a fiber supplement, it is crucial to know its origin and purity. 

I selected TruFiber™ Lean for our health and resilience approach to weight loss because it has a number of unique features not typically found in most fiber supplements:

• TruFiber™ Lean features the proprietary Propol®, A propolmannan—a highly purified glucomannan. This fiber has an exceptional ability to absorb water and is one of the most viscous dietary fibers known. This is important because viscosity and stability, taken together, produce a highly effective material that, once in the digestive tract, attracts water and forms a viscous gel-like substance that slows digestion, delays the emptying of food from the stomach into the small intestine, slows down the rate of rise in carbohydrates (i.e., glucose) and fats in the bloodstream, binds to bile acids, and impedes dietary fat absorption.*
•  Propol® A Propolmannan used in our TruFiber™ Lean is produced by the world pioneer in dietary fiber research and product development, Shimizu Chemical Corporation, with over 300 years’ experience in processing raw material and extracting glucomannan.
• Using its vast knowledge, Shimizu Chemical Corporation developed Propol A propolmannan in a unique and proprietary three-stage purification process carried out in large-scale extraction plants that pulverize the Amorphophallus tubers, collect mannan-glucose particles, and then use cutting-edge technology to polish the particles to dislodge and extract noxious materials (sulfites, heavy metals, and other contaminants) that adhere to them. In a further highly specialized step, Propol A has been reduced to a special particle size that maximizes density while remaining the fiber in a desirable viscous form. This process yields a pure, refined, high-performance Amorphophallus propolmannan that improves the solubility, stability, and overall functionality of TruFiber™ Lean.

Why is soluble fiber so critical to gut health, helping weight loss, and in turn improving our overall health? Soluble fiber is known to act as a bulking agent in the stomach and intestine, which creates the signals of fullness (satiety) and causes individuals to eat less. Studies suggest that glucomannan supplementation significantly reduces weight at doses of 3 g/d to 4 g/d when compared to placebo. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the effects of 3 g/d of Propol (1 g 30-60 minutes prior to each meal) combined with 300 mg/d of calcium indicated that compliant subjects experienced a significant reduction in scale weight, body fat percentage, and fat mass without a loss of fat-free mass or bone density. In another study, the mean weight loss for the glucomannan group was 5.5 lbs in eight weeks, while those in the placebo group gained 1.5 lbs.*

Soluble fiber also slows the absorption of glucose, which in turn helps slow the release of insulin and the rate of fat storage. Glucomannan studies have demonstrated a positive impact on postprandial glucose handling and glucose metabolism, and also show positive effects on cholesterol metabolism. This latter cholesterol effect is thought to result from the fact that soluble fiber reduces fat and cholesterol absorption and carries bile out of the intestines. When fewer bile acids are available, the body draws cholesterol from the bloodstream to make more,* which lowers blood cholesterol levels.

Other benefits of glucomannan are healthy bowel function and healthier gut microbiome. When glucomannan allows more water to remain in the stool, this makes the waste softer, larger, and easier to pass through the intestines. Glucomannan has also been shown to reduce transit time, improve defecation frequency, and ease bowel movements. Increased fecal concentration of lactobacilli as well as the daily output of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and total bacteria along with fermentation of glucomannan resulting in greater fecal concentrations of post-biotics (acetate, propionate, and i-butyrate) and lower fecal pH demonstrate the positive effects on gut health. *

To optimize health effects of TruFiber™ Lean with TruProbiotic™ Lean it is important to include a variety of high fiber foods in your diet:

• dark, leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables,
• prebiotics (Jerusalem artichoke, onions and garlic, asparagus, leeks),
• whole low glycemic fruits (apples) and berries
• whole grains,
• legumes and lentils,
• healthy fats from fish, avocados, raw nuts and seeds, olive oil.

It is also important to remove disruptive food, bacteria, pathogens, and toxins in your diet, and also talk with your physician about any prescription medicines known to adversely impact a healthy gut microbiome balance. These include:

• gluten
• packaged (processed/refined) foods
• soy
• fruit juice
• potatoes and corn
• peanuts
• high mercury fish
• deli meat
• artificial sweeteners
• high-fructose corn syrup
• fillers and colors
• trans or hydrogenated fats
• fried foods
• foods containing antibiotics and growth hormones
• Prescription medicines that disrupt the gut microbiome balance: antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors (commonly used to treat reflux and other acid-related disorders), metformin, laxatives, statins, NSAIDS, antacids, antidepressants, sleeping pills and even some cancer drugs.

In summary, the clinical applications of TruFiber™ Lean include:

• Supports Satiety*

• Supports Weight Control*

• Supports Glucose Metabolism*

• Supports Cholesterol Metabolism*

• Supports Healthy Bowel Movements*

• Serves as a Prebiotic for Intestinal Bacteria*

If you are seeking to enhance your weight loss efforts in a healthy manner, we hope you will give our TruWeight Management formula with TruFiber™ Lean a try!

To your improving health!

Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD

All Truth for Health Foundation Formulas are Meet or Exceed Quality Standards set by FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).   For more information, references from studies are listed in the Product Data Sheets for each product on our website.

Under medical practice regulations, we are unable to answer individual medical questions or make specific individual supplement recommendations for people who are not established patients of Dr. Vliet’s independent medical practice.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.