
Effects of a diet based on inulin-rich vegetables on gut health and nutrition - msapaydin
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqz001/5479239
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spenrose
N=26. No control group eating, say, lots of low-inulin vegetables.
Highlighting studies such as this one is not the right way to popularize
science. This study should be of interest to other researchers. Once N is
several orders of magnitude higher and lots of comparison groups have been
included, then tell a general audience what's going on.

PS related to "inulin-rich" is "high FODMAP".

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msapaydin
they already state those in the paper: "Our trial had some limitations,
including the absence of a control group (each individual being their own
control in our study), the limited number of subjects, their young age
(leading to extrapolation to the aging population), and the decision to focus
on hydrogen-producing individuals as an inclusion criterion. However, we can
clearly conclude that, by increasing the consumption of selected vegetables,
it is possible to boost the intake of fructans and thereby create a shift in
the gut microbiota composition. "

~~~
glaugh
I think spenrose is saying “We shouldn’t be upvoting this” or maybe “I hope
newspapers don’t report on this like it’s a clear, solid answer”, not “This
paper is flawed in ways that the authors didn’t recognize”.

Personally I’m fine with this being on HN because I think this audience
understands issues around low N (and commentators do a good job of pointing
them out), but I agree that it would be problematic if this were picked up by
the New York Times or something.

~~~
spenrose
That is what I'm saying.

"this audience understands ...": 1. I think a quick scan of their responses
will refute that, but in any case 2. my point is that there is no value to
this study for non-researchers. General sophistication doesn't matter.

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dcolkitt
One of the easiest ways to add inulin to your diet is to make heavy use of
garlic to your regular meals. Garlic contains one of the highest
concentrations of inulin of any common vegetable. It also has a flavor that
enhances nearly all savory dishes.

Before cooking anything dice up a lot of garlic ahead of time. Then heat up a
little bit of oil in the pan, add in the garlic and let it sauté until it just
starts to brown. Then add in whatever you were planning on cooking.

Don't be afraid to add more garlic. More garlic almost always equals more
flavor. This is a big reason why Italian cuisine is so consistently delicious.
It's not unusual for me to use 15-20 cloves of diced garlic when making dinner
for two.

~~~
ip26
First, preparing 20 cloves of garlic every night sounds pretty arduous.
Second, I bought garlic once in the French Riviera, and the cloves were
huge...

~~~
chongli
You can buy pre-peeled garlic in large, refrigerated packs.

~~~
hackermailman
These are usually from PRC, so I avoid them and just use fresh local garlic
that you lightly crush with the broadside of a knife and the peel just falls
off negating the need for prepeeled.

For inulin there's the research site 'American Gut' also geneticist Tim
Spector's book about foods rich in inulin like sun chokes, leeks, onions, etc.
Spector and the American reseacher guy have a documentary on YouTube about a
Tanzanian hunter gatherer tribe with the world's most diverse gut microbes who
basically only eat meat, berries and tube roots they dig up if anybody is
interested.

~~~
chongli
_fresh local garlic that you lightly crush with the broadside of a knife and
the peel just falls off negating the need for prepeeled._

That's what I do as well but I have never eaten a meal with a double-digit
number of cloves of garlic. The most I've ever used in a meal was 6 and that
gave me a ton of gas; never again!

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hootguy
It was kind of funny that one of the results was reported as "a trend to
increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables." Let's look at
just a representative handful of the way said vegetables were cooked and
presented: mashed Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, pumpkin cream, stuffed
artichoke bottoms, tomato coulis, gratin dauphinois, green beans, shallot
sauce. I would develop a "hedonic attitude" toward those if I had all the time
in the world to cook like that.

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StavrosK
> The volunteers showed greater satiety, a reduced desire to eat sweet, salty,
> and fatty food, and a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some
> inulin-rich vegetables.

This is odd, because whenever I eat garlic or onion I start craving sweets for
hours afterwards.

~~~
dan00
Do you have issues with fructose? Because carving for sweets is a typical
symptom and garlic and onion can be problematic if you have a fructose
intolerance.

~~~
StavrosK
I don't think so, I eat (and like) fruit fine? I'm not sure what the symptoms
would be, but I generally like fruit (and they satisfy for my sweet cravings
very well).

EDIT: I misread your comment, I thought you meant craving sweets after
onion/garlic is a symptom of fructose intolerance.

EDIT 2: I read it again and I'm now not sure if you mean that or not :P

~~~
dan00
> EDIT 2: I read it again and I'm now not sure if you mean that or not :P

Yes, I meant it.

If you can eat fruits without issues, then you most likely shouldn‘t have a
fructose intolerance.

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asaph
> Only flatulence episodes were reported during the dietary intervention

Never fails to make me chuckle...

~~~
adamredwoods
They may be indicating a possible digestive intolerance. Raw onion and garlic
is difficult for me to digest (allium intolerance?), cooking helps but still
can be difficult in high quantities.

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viburnum
I love garlic but it makes my stomach hurt so much that I can’t sleep. Don’t
know what’s up with that.

~~~
Mtinie
My wife recently developed a sensitivity to garlic and onion. Fresh garlic and
onion are problematic as she feels very lethargic but dehydrated powders and
granules are a no-go if she wants to sleep well at all and not feel like she
woke up after a night of very heavy drinking (dehydration and headache).

Interestingly if she has a glass of wine—especially a red—the effects are
amplified.

It’s a very strange change and makes eating out quite challenging given how
ubiquitous both are in food preparation and seasonings.

~~~
objektif
Sounds like it may be related to fructose sensitivity.

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sabujp
tldr; eat artichoke, garlic, shallots, leeks, scorzonera/salsify and it will
reduce cravings for fatty foods. side effects include gas

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lawlessone
which vegtables?

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john-tells-all
"chicory root contains the highest concentration of inulin ... Vegetables such
as sugar beets, leeks and asparagus all contain adequate concentrations of
inulin. Onions and garlic are also home to a healthy supply of inulin, as are
dandelion root, elecampane root and a variety of herbs. Bananas and wheat
contain inulin, too."

from [https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-provide-
inulin/](https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-provide-inulin/)

~~~
semi-extrinsic
If you have digestive problems, some of these are good and some can be very
bad (e.g. asparagus if you have any restrictions).

