Within each of these two main fiber types are many different subtypes, all from different plant sources. If you were to leave a portion of potato salad out in 98 degree heat for a day or two, it would form toxic substances. The longer the salad sat out, the more toxic it would become. Similar processes occur in the waste products that linger inside your large intestine. Soluble fiber works like a sponge, absorbing toxins and carrying them away while producing beneficial chemical changes within the bloodstream.
Insoluble fiber works like a scrub brush to clean the inside of the colon.
Many studies have supported the link between fiber and these diseases. In dietary experiments, large quantities of soluble fiber such as pectin, guar, barley and oat bran have been found to reduce blood cholesterol, an important risk factor in the development of coronary artery disease. Colon Cancer Colon cancer is the number two cancer killer, second only to lung cancer. In the U.S., with 150,000 new cases reported each year, colon cancer kills 60,000 Americans annually. Five percent of all men and six percent of all women born in the U.S. will develop colon cancer sometime in their life.