Cellulose
Cellulose is a large molecular polysaccharide composed of glucose. It is insoluble in water and common organic solvents. It is the main component of plant cell walls. Cellulose is the most widely distributed and abundant polysaccharide in nature, accounting for over 50% of the carbon content in the plant kingdom. The cellulose content in cotton is close to 100%, making it the most natural and pure source of cellulose. In general wood, cellulose accounts for 40-50%, along with 10-30% hemicellulose and 20-30% lignin.
The Role of Cellulose
1. Treating Diabetes
Dietary fiber can increase the sensitivity of insulin receptors and improve the utilization of insulin. Dietary fiber can wrap the sugar in food, allowing it to be absorbed gradually, which helps balance postprandial blood sugar levels, thereby regulating blood sugar in diabetic patients and treating diabetes.
2. Preventing and Treating Coronary Heart Disease
An increase in serum cholesterol levels can lead to coronary heart disease. The excretion of cholesterol and bile acids is closely related to dietary fiber. Dietary fiber can bind with bile acids, causing them to be quickly excreted from the body. At the same time, the binding of dietary fiber and bile acids promotes the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids, thereby lowering cholesterol levels.
3. Blood Pressure Reduction
Dietary fiber can adsorb ions and exchange them with sodium and potassium ions in the intestine, which lowers the sodium-to-potassium ratio in the blood, thus playing a role in reducing blood pressure.
4. Anti-cancer Effect
Dietary fiber helps prevent colon cancer for the following reasons: Some saprophytic bacteria in the colon can produce carcinogens, while some beneficial microorganisms in the gut can use dietary fiber to produce short-chain fatty acids, which can inhibit the growth of saprophytic bacteria. Bile acids and chenodeoxycholic acid in bile can be metabolized by bacteria into carcinogens and mutagens. Dietary fiber can bind these substances like bile acids and excrete them, preventing the formation of these carcinogens. Dietary fiber promotes intestinal peristalsis, increases fecal volume, and shortens emptying time, thereby reducing the contact time between food carcinogens and the colon. Beneficial bacteria in the gut can use dietary fiber to produce butyrate, which can inhibit the growth and proliferation of tumor cells, induce tumor cells to transform into normal cells, and control the expression of cancer-causing genes.
5. Weight Loss and Obesity Treatment
Dietary fiber replaces some of the nutritional components in food, reducing the total food intake. Dietary fiber promotes the secretion of saliva and digestive fluids, filling the stomach. At the same time, it absorbs water and expands, creating a feeling of fullness and suppressing the desire to eat. Dietary fiber combines with some fatty acids; this combination prevents these fatty acids from being absorbed as they pass through the digestive tract, thus reducing the absorption rate of fat.
6. Treating Constipation
Dietary fiber has strong water-holding capacity, with a water absorption rate of up to 10 times its weight. After absorbing water, it increases the volume of intestinal contents, making stools softer and easier to pass through the intestines with less effort. Meanwhile, as a foreign substance in the intestine, dietary fiber stimulates intestinal contractions and peristalsis, accelerating bowel movements and relieving constipation.
7. Removing Exogenous Harmful Substances
Dietary fiber has a strong binding and exchange capacity for cations and can adsorb and bind organic compounds. It can serve as a final barrier against certain environmental pollutants, preventing them from ultimately harming the body and playing a detoxifying role.
Intake of Cellulose
Vegetables are rich in cellulose. Foods without cellulose include: chicken, duck, fish, meat, eggs, etc. Foods high in cellulose include: coarse grains, bran, vegetables, legumes, etc., with cotton being the highest at 98%. Therefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients appropriately consume more fiber-rich foods such as legumes and fresh vegetables. Currently, most plant fiber foods in the country are made from rice bran, wheat bran, brewers grains, beet pulp, pumpkin, corn husk, and algae, which have a certain effect on lowering blood sugar and blood lipids.
Sources of Cellulose
Hemp, straw, rice straw, bagasse, etc., are all rich sources of cellulose. Cellulose is an important raw material for papermaking. In addition, products made from cellulose are also widely used in plastics, explosives, electrical engineering, and scientific research equipment. Cellulose in food (i.e., dietary fiber) also plays an important role in human health.
Cellulose Content in Common Foods
Wheat bran: 31%
Grains: 4-10%, listed from highest to lowest: wheat berries, barley, corn, buckwheat flour, Job's tears flour, sorghum, black rice.
Oatmeal: 8-9%; Rolled oats: 5-6%
The cellulose content of tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes is about 3%.
Legumes: 6-15%, listed from highest to lowest: soybeans, green beans, fava beans, kidney beans, peas, black beans, adzuki beans, mung beans.
Regardless of whether it's grains, tubers, or legumes, generally, the more processed they are, the lower their cellulose content.
Vegetables: Bamboo shoots have the highest content, with dried bamboo shoots containing 30-40% cellulose, and chili peppers exceeding 40%. Other vegetables high in cellulose include: bracken, cauliflower, spinach, pumpkin, cabbage, rapeseed.
Mushrooms (dried): Have the highest cellulose content, with pine mushrooms containing nearly 50% cellulose. Those with over 30%, listed from highest to lowest, are: shiitake mushrooms, tremella, wood ear mushrooms. In addition, seaweed also has a high cellulose content, reaching 20%.
Nuts: 3-14. Those with over 10% include: black sesame seeds, pine nuts, almonds. Those with under 10% include: white sesame seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts.
Fruits: The highest content is in dried red hawthorn, with cellulose content close to 50%. Followed by dried mulberries, cherries, sour jujubes, black jujubes, dates, small dates, pomegranates, apples, and Ya pears.
Note: All meats, eggs, dairy products, various oils, seafood, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks do not contain cellulose. The cellulose content in all infant foods is extremely low.
Can Babies Eat Cellulose
The digestive enzyme function in newborns is still weak, with little gastric juice and low acidity, so it is not suitable for them to eat cellulose. However, as the child grows and their digestive function develops, cellulose foods should be gradually added. Generally, starting from 4 to 5 months, a child's good eating habits should be gradually cultivated. The diet should not be overly processed, and cellulose foods should be given without delay. Cellulose foods can be processed into a paste, puree, or minced form, and then gradually transition to solid pieces, such as rice cereal, vegetable puree, carrot puree, potato puree, and various fruits. The quantity should be increased from small amounts to allow the infant's gastrointestinal tract to adapt. This not only supplements the large amount of essential nutrients needed during infancy but also cultivates the good habit of eating cellulose foods regularly. This can have a multiplier effect in preventing diseases common in adults, such as colon cancer, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and gallstones.