Also see:
Ray Peat, PhD on the Benefits of the Raw Carrot
The effect of raw carrot on serum lipids and colon function
Endotoxin: Poisoning from the Inside Out
Endotoxin-lipoprotein Hypothesis
Protection from Endotoxin
Bowel Toxins Accelerate Aging
“The food industry is promoting the use of various gums and starches, which are convenient thickeners and stabilizers for increasing self-life, with the argument that the butyric acid produced when they are fermented by intestinal bacteria is protective. However, intestinal fermentation increases systemic and brain serotonin, and the short-chain fatty acids can produce a variety of inflammatory and cytotoxic effect. Considering the longevity and stress-resistance of germ-free animals, choosing foods (such as raw carrots or cooked bamboo shoots or cooked mushrooms) which accelerate peristalsis and speed transit through the bowel, which suppressing bacterial growth, seems like a convenient approach to increasing longevity.” -Ray Peat, PhD
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety Volume 10, Issue 3, pages 153–168, May 2011
Nutritional Properties of Bamboo Shoots: Potential and Prospects for Utilization as a Health Food
Nirmala Chongtham, Madho Singh Bisht, Sheena Haorongbam
Bamboo is intricately associated with humans from times immemorial. Popularly known for their industrial uses, a lesser known fact of bamboos is the usage of its young shoots as a food that can be consumed fresh, fermented, or canned. The juvenile shoots are not only delicious but are rich in nutrient components, mainly proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, and fiber and are low in fat and sugars. In addition, they contain phytosterols and a high amount of fiber that can be labeled as nutraceuticals or natural medicines that are attracting the attention of health advocates and scientists alike. The shoots are free from residual toxicity and grow without the application of fertilizers. Modern research has revealed that bamboo shoots have a number of health benefits: improving appetite and digestion, weight loss, and curing cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The shoots are reported to have anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral activity. Shoots have antioxidant capacity due to the presence of phenolic compounds. The increasing trends of health consciousness among consumers have stimulated the field of functional foods and bamboo shoots can be one of them. Bamboo fiber is now a common ingredient in breakfast cereals, fruit juices, bakery and meat products, sauces, shredded cheeses, cookies, pastas, snacks, frozen desserts, and many other food products. This review emphasizes the health benefits of bamboo shoots and their potential for utilization as a health food.
Nutrition. 2009 Jul-Aug;25(7-8):723-8. Epub 2009 Mar 13.
Effects of bamboo shoot consumption on lipid profiles and bowel function in healthy young women.
Park EJ, Jhon DY.
OBJECTIVE:
This study evaluated the short-term effect of bamboo shoot consumption as a dietary fiber source on blood glucose, lipid profiles, hepatic function, and constipation symptoms in healthy women.
METHODS:
Eight subjects, 21- to 23-y-old women, with normal health status received a dietary fiber-free diet (control), a diet containing 25 g of cellulose, and a diet containing 360 g of bamboo shoots, with each diet segment lasting 6 d. At the end of each diet, blood biochemical parameters, such as glucose, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and atherogenic index were measured and a questionnaire test for the evaluation of fecal excretion was taken. For statistical analysis, analysis of variance was performed.
RESULTS:
Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the atherogenic index were decreased with the bamboo shoot diet feeding compared with the dietary fiber-free diet. There were no differences in serum glucose levels among the tested diets. Fecal volume and bowel movement frequency in subjects fed the bamboo shoot diet were significantly increased.
CONCLUSION:
Bamboo shoots as a dietary fiber source has beneficial effects on lipid profile and bowel function.
