Читать книгу Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone - Abram Hoffer M.D. Ph.D. - Страница 26

The removal of fiber causes two sets of conditions:

• Simple constipation with its complications of venous ailments (varicose veins, deep-vein thrombosis, hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, and cancer of the colon)

• Dental caries and periodontal disease

When normal quantities of fiber (bulk) are consumed, the normal transit time of the feces is about 24–48 hours, as against the 48–96 hours found in people who live on low-fiber diets. As a result, constipation is very common. In Britain, up to 15 percent of the population regularly takes laxatives. This is most common among the elderly, who have had much more time to damage their bowels by their defective nutrition. We have seen a large number of elderly who use daily laxatives and as a result suffer from a variety of complications, including malabsorption. Two serious consequences arise from constipation—diverticulosis and diverticulitis (an inflammation of the diverticuli). The slow passage of the colon’s contents leads to increased absorption of water from the feces and to greater dryness of the contents, necessitating excessive contraction of the bowel. Whatever the reason, there is a clear association between constipation, diverticulosis, and absence of a diet containing adequate quantities of fiber.⁸

Diverticulitis is ascribed to a combination of the constipation due to the lack of fiber and the deleterious effect of the high sugar intake that accompanies it. There is an undesirable pathological effect on the bacterial population of the gut due to the surplus of the sugar. The effects on the bowel do not come on quickly and may require up to forty years before they are fully developed. The evolutionary mechanism developed for rejecting foods that are harmful to us does not come into play.

Another manifestation is the irritable colon (colitis) due to the same two factors. Therefore, the simple addition of bran while continuing to eat large quantities of sugar may not be helpful. One of the most dangerous conditions is cancer of the colon, which may derive from the same set of causes.