There has been SO MUCH talk on Instagram about the FDA’s announcement regarding IMOs.

Oh the drama that comes with net carbs !!

Before we get into the IMO tea, let’s review fiber and the difference between dietary fiber and functional fiber. 

fiber sparknote

FIBER: Fiber is a type of carb that is made up of many sugar molecules linked together. Unlike other carbs, fiber is an INDIGESTIBLE carb; it’s bound in a way that it can’t be digested in the small intestine, so fiber contributes no calories or energy to your diet. Fiber is basically every carb lovers DREAM.

TOTAL FIBER = dietary fiber + functional fiber. 

DIETARY FIBER: Dietary fiber is intrinsic (naturally occurring fiber) and considered to be “intact” because it has not been removed from food; it is found mainly in fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes (1). We know fiber as the go-to for relieving constipation, but it has many other benefits like lowering your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer (2)!

FUNCTIONAL FIBER: Functional fibers are isolated, non-digestible forms of carbs that have been extracted from starchy foods or manufactured from starches or sugars then added to foods. While they do have similar benefits of dietary fiber, they lack nutrients and phytochemicals that occur from fiber in whole foods, so they are NOT recommended to replace fiber from whole foods (3). There is a growing tendency to use this type of fiber in foods and beverages to up the fiber content and decrease the net carbs. These products make it easier to reach our fiber goal, but should be used in addition to dietary fiber, not instead of it.

What are IMOs?

Isomalto-oligosaccharide… Let’s just call it “IMO”…

IMOs are a moderately sweet carbohydrate and were a type of functional fiber UNTIL… they weren’t. The FDA discluded IMOs from the industry guidance report on fibers.

Why is that?

To explain why, I’d have to explain the ~*~SCIENCE behind it all.

what does carb digestion look like??

Digestion begins in the mouth with SALIVARY AMYLASE (an enzyme from your saliva that breaks down carbs) then goes down into the stomach where it is mixed with very strong acid to kill bacteria (4). We call this mixture CHYME. The chyme then leaves your stomach and heads to your small intestine. When the chyme reaches your small intestines, your pancreas secretes enzymes called PANCREATIC ENZYMES into the small intestines. These enzymes break down carbs, fats, and proteins. PANCREATIC AMYLASE is a type of pancreatic enzyme specific to carbs – it breaks down & digests the carbs to a smaller size.

These carbs need to be broken down more before we can absorb them. BRUSH BORDER ENZYMES (enzymes on the wall of the small intestines) like lactase, sucrase, and maltase break down the carbs into sugars so we can FINALLY absorb them and use for the sugars for energy or store them for later use.

LET’S REVIEW OUR CARB DIGESTION:

SALIVARY AMYLASE (produced in salivary glands, released in mouth) →

PANCREATIC AMYLASE (produced in pancreas, released in small intestine) →

BRUSH BORDER ENZYMES (produced and released in small intestine) →

FINALLY READY TO ABSORB FOR STORAGE OR ENERGY!!

As mentioned earlier, IMOs were thought to be a functional fiber – they resisted digestion and continued to pass through our GI system (… & eventually into the toilet).

We thought IMOs were a functional fiber because when they were treated with pancreatic enzymes, they weren’t broken down. However, the IMOs were not tested against the small intestine’s brush border enzymes (lactase, sucrase, and maltase).

Recently, IMOs were tested against dextrose (glucose) and this study found that there were no differences b/w IMOs and dextrose for blood glucose, insulin, or hydrogen responses (5).

What does this mean?

• IMOs aren’t classified as a fiber 
  • We can’t classify IMOs as fiber; they are digested how sugar is digested. This does NOT mean that IMOs are the devil and will poison you. The food and beverage companies’ products that contained IMOs have more net carbs than we thought, but they weren’t trying to deceive us.
• Be a conscious, educated consumer
  • If you have diabetes, you need to know that products with IMOs will have an impact on your blood sugar and you will need to adjust accordingly!
  • The products that have less fiber will increase blood sugar response will change fullness compared to those with more fiber.
• To eat or not to eat IMO products
  • This isn’t necessarily a reason that we should stop consuming products with IMOs, we should be mindful of the fact that they may have more carbs than we initially thought!
  • Do note: Many of the food and beverage companies have changed or are changing their formulas so IMOs won’t be included. The old formula’s products may still be on the shelves so check your labels.
  • Functional fiber foods are great for supplementing dietary fiber and providing us with a healthier version of the products we crave, but this is a good reminder to focus on eating whole foods to reach our daily fiber goals!

AND THAT IS THE IMO TEA, LADIES.

Also – give yourself a pat on the back. You’re BASICALLY a gastroenterologist now???

What are your thoughts on IMOs?!

xx hails