Today's Adv. Nutrient Metabolism class

I love this amazing accomplishment feeling! Adv. Nutrient Metabolism was all about fiber and which types of fiber are insoluble/soluble... insoluble, nonfermentable fiber is better for treating constipation and soluble/fermentable fiber is better for lowering cholesterol. I asked why is it that psyllium seed is a common laxative yet is a soluble fiber ? prof. said he didnt know!

We also learned the pathways for how and why the fiber lowers cholesterol... The soluble fiber binds to bile salts (stored in the gallbladder, transported into the small intestine when fat arrives in it).... and carries them out the colon for waste... less bile salt is then returned to/ available in the liver so the liver must pull cholesterol from the blood in order to make bile salt, in order to breakdown fat/CHO etc... so it pulls the cholesterol from the blood... reducing blood cholesterol.
Cholesterol drugs often given to high blood cholesterol patients have a similar effect, they block the re-absorption of bile salts, and help carry out bile salts to waste - thus creating the need for the liver to pull more cholesterol out of the blood!


What the grossest part of the class was not the constipation stuff for me-- it was the fact that there are ANTS all over the floor in that room and one crawled up my ankle and bit me!! EEEWW!! They were all over/inside my bag last week... and now i had to keep my feet up off the floor!