If you cook the two apples to make apple sauce, you can eat this in a few minutes and you will feel hungry one or two hours later. But if you eat two apples, it will take you 20-30 minutes and you won't be hungry for several hours. The bulking action of fiber improves intestinal function by feeding the bacteria which live in your colon, holding water like a sponge, and speeding up the passage of intestinal contents. A large part of the fiber we eat is fermented by the bacteria in the large intestine to gases and other products that have beneficial effects. There is not a shred of evidence for this claim and all facts indicate it is not true.
Food generally takes about four hours to make it from the mouth to the end of the small intestine.
This is desirable because it prevents constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticular disease. The latter is formation of pouches in the wall of the colon that can become infected and is found in half the people over 70 years old who have been eating low fiber diets typical of the U. S. and Europe their entire lives. There is nonconclusive evidence that insoluble fiber also reduces the risk of colon cancer. Please recommend Nutrition News Focus to your family and friends. We do not recommend any treatment, food or supplement.