Dietary Fiber and Coronary Heart Disease
Robert E.C. Wildman, Richard S. Bruno in Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 2019
Other types of soluble fibers have been extensively studied for their ability to lower serum cholesterol amounts. Psyllium has received attention over the years as a soluble fiber that can reduce cholesterol levels. Psyllium is a plant whose stalks contain tiny seeds, also called psyllium, covered by husks, which is the source of the fiber. There is a great deal of soluble fiber in psyllium; in fact, 71% of the weight of psyllium is derived from soluble fiber. In contrast, only 5% of oat bran by weight is made of soluble fiber; in other words, the soluble fiber in 1 tablespoon of psyllium is equal to 14 tablespoons of oat bran. The active fraction of psyllium seed husks that is thought to be responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects is a highly branched arabinoxylan that is composed of a xylose backbone with arabinose and xylose containing side chains.27 Interestingly, arabinoxylan from psyllium is not fermented by colonic bacteria, apparently due to an as yet to be identified structural feature of the molecule.
Plantago ovata (Isabgol) and Rauvolfia serpentina (Indian Snakeroot)
Azamal Husen in Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees of Potential Medicinal Benefits, 2022
Plantago ovata Forsk. (Family: Plantaginaceae) is one of 300 species belonging to the family Plantaginaceae (Figure 13.1). It is a perennial herb distributed in temperate and tropical regions. P. ovata is mainly known for its seed (Tewari et al., 2014). The seed is covered with a husk, a membranous coating on the concave side of the seed. The word Plantago is derived from Latin which translates to “sole of the foot”, which refers to its leaf, while the word ovata refers to the shape of the leaf (Dhar et al., 2005). In India, it is also called Ashwagolam Babka and Spangur, while it is known by different names in different regions – Barhanj, Spogel, Ch-chientzu, Obeko, and Buzarqatona in Poland, Iran, China, Japan, and Arabia, respectively (Franco et al., 2020). Blond psyllium is the common English name, but psyllium is more popular; thus, is used for seeds and the complete plant. It is a Greek word meaning “flea” referring to the size, color, and shape of P. ovata seeds. Psyllium is the common name for most plant species in the Plantago genus, but in this review, it strictly refers to the P. ovata plant. In Sanskrit, P. ovata is called “Isabgol”; the root words are “Isab” and “ghol”, which translates to “horse” and “flower”, referring to the shape of the P. ovata seeds (Dhar et al., 2005; Verma and Mogra, 2015).
Cardiovascular Diseases and the Metabolic Syndrome
John J.B. Anderson, Marilyn C. Sparling in The Mediterranean Way of Eating, 2014
Studies have shown that a high intake of total dietary fiber, from soluble and insoluble fibers, is linked with a lower risk of heart disease (see Chapters 9 through 11). Because dietary fiber appears to provide numerous health benefits, food companies have begun to add fiber isolated from various plant sources to products that never contained any fiber in the first place, such as ice cream, yogurt, and juice. Some of the more popular isolated fibers include inulin (from the chicory plant), polydextrose, maltodextrin, and soy fiber. It is unclear at this time whether isolated fibers provide the same protection against CVDs as do intact fibers. One exception is a psyllium seed extract, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol as well as act as a laxative. In general, isolated fibers lack many of the nutrients and phytochemicals found in whole grains, and at present little or no evidence exists that isolated fibers can reduce the risk of CVD or type 2 diabetes.
Development and characterization of a tissue mimicking psyllium husk gelatin phantom for ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging
Published in International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2020
Lorne W. Hofstetter, Lewis Fausett, Alexander Mueller, Henrik Odéen, Allison Payne, Douglas A. Christensen, Dennis L. Parker
In this work, we present and characterize a simple cost-effective ballistic gelatin phantom that can be used for both US and MR imaging. Psyllium husk was chosen as the scattering agent because it did not induce significant susceptibility artifacts in MR magnitude and phase images. US and MR properties were measured to evaluate the effect of the added psyllium husk. Elastic properties as a function of phantom temperature and age were also evaluated. We demonstrate that high-resolution MR imaging and advanced US imaging techniques such as US shear-wave speed imaging can be performed on this gelatin/psyllium husk phantom. This dual-use phantom enables the direct comparison of MR and US imaging techniques. The ability to compare imaging modalities in a HIFU phantom could prove useful in the development and validation of US-only HIFU-guided therapies as well as the development and comparison of US and MR elastography approaches for guiding HIFU therapies.
A novel tissue-mimicking phantom for US/CT/MR-guided tumor puncture and thermal ablation
Published in International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2022
Xinyu Zhong, Ping Zhou, Yongfeng Zhao, Wengang Liu, Xinghao Zhang
Polyacrylamide gel is recognized as a very promising tissue-mimicking phantom material with the advantages of favorable stability, low cost, and ease of fabricate [10]. In this study, we constructed a normal tissue-mimicking phantom based on polyacrylamide gel. Interestingly, the puncture through the tissue phantom felt similar to a puncture through soft tissue (such as that of the liver). Indeed, studies have shown that polyacrylamide gel has a similar mass density and flexibilities to those of the liver, along with the similar heat capacity and electrical conductivity [9,11,13].Therefore, a polyacrylamide gel-based phantom is an ideal artificial synthetic material for mimicking soft tissue, specifically the liver. Furthermore, we designed a spherical phantom to mimic the tumor lesion embedded in the soft tissue phantom. To improve the visualization of the ‘tumor’ in US/CT/MR images, we added contrast agents into the tumor phantom. Specially, we chose the psyllium husk as one of the contrast agents, which could provide both US and MR imaging characteristics. Thus, complex phantom recipes were avoided. Notably, the order of addition of contrast agents is important. In our experience, it is better to add iohexol before thermochromic ink, so that we can easily confirm whether iohexol is fully dissolved in the mixture visually. However, psyllium husk is better added after APS and TEMED. Otherwise, it may result in lack of homogeneity of the phantom. Finally, we planted ‘the tumor’ into a normal tissue phantom and a tumor-bearing tissue model was constructed that can be used for multimodal imaging.
COVID-19: quarantine, isolation, and lifestyle diseases
Published in Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2023
Heena Rehman, Md Iftekhar Ahmad
For the management of cardiovascular diseases, diet plays a significant role. Current guidelines suggest reducing the intake of saturated fat to less than 7% of total calories taken in a day (Eckel et al. 2014). On an average, an American consumes more than 11% of saturated fat of the total energy intake and this has increased during quarantine (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service 2016). The main source of saturated fat is not just butter; it also includes desserts, poultry dishes, meat, hamburgers, and cheese. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats is suggested for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Including fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains are also recommended. Dietary supplements containing psyllium seed husks help in lowering levels of cholesterol. Consumption of food products containing stanols or plant sterols plays a significant role in lowering hyperlipidaemia. Consumption of alcohol should be limited to one drink for women and two drinks for men. A low sodium diet is recommended to reduce the blood pressure.
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