A lack of dietary fiber in the Western diet is starving gut bacteria and contributing to numerous diseases.

“There's really good evidence that in the United States we're actually starving our microbes. So this is really important in many respects.”

Insufficient intake of complex carbohydrates from dietary fiber forces gut microbes to consume the protective mucus lining of the colon, which can trigger immune system overreaction.

“So as we don't consume enough dietary fiber, these microbes become closer to our mucus lining. They're eating that food because that's all they have to eat, and they inching ever closer to our own epithelial cells”

High dietary fiber intake is positively correlated with improved cancer survival rates.

“For every five grams that you increased your fiber consumption, you increase your survival by 30%.”

Insoluble fiber promotes healthy gut movement, while soluble fiber provides a viscous barrier and essential metabolites that feed the gut wall.

“so essentially what you want to do in healthy gut metabolism is to ensure that nutrients flow through the gut get absorbed and the waste get passed through in a timely manner so that's what insoluble fiber helps in the other part of the fiber equation is to include soluble fiber and what soluble fib”