Adsorption denotes the ability of something (here a fibre) to bind to something else. Some fibres can adhere to nutrients and, by doing so, alter their digestive fate. Highly adsorptive fibres can:
- Diminish lipid absorption as already mentioned in the case of chitosan
- Increase bile acid secretion. As you already learned, bile acids are added to the stomach to help fatty acid digestion, and then reabsorbed through the intestine, via the liver, and used again. These bile acids are synthesised from cholesterol meaning that this process has been shown to reduce serum cholesterol levels, specifically LDL cholesterol, thus potentially decreasing cardiovascular health risks
- Decrease the absorption of some vitamins and minerals