Many studies have looked at fiber and weight loss. The average value for published studies indicate that consuming an additional 14 grams of fiber daily for more than 2 days is associated with a 10% decrease in calorie intake and weight loss of 4.2 lbs. over 3.8 months, with obese individuals showing an even greater effect. Mean calorie intake in all studies was reduced by 18% in overweight/obese people vs 6% in lean people; body weight loss was 5.3 lbs. vs 1.8 lbs. The majority of studies showed that increasing either soluble or insoluble fiber intake increases post-meal satiety and decreases subsequent hunger and it the observed changes occur whether the fiber is from naturally high-fiber foods or from a fiber supplement.*
In one study of 252 women over 20 months, for each 1 g increase in total fiber consumed, weight decreased by 0.25 kg (.6 lb.) and fat decreased by 0.25 percentage point. Their conclusion, increasing dietary fiber reduced significantly, the risk of gaining weight and body fat in women, irrespective of physical activity, dietary fat intake, and several other co-founding variables.**
The main effects of dietary fiber are on the time it takes food to leave the stomach and move through the small intestinal. Both of these result in an improved glucose tolerance and a decreased digestion of starch. In addition, the short chain fatty acids that are produced from fermentation of dietary fiber in the colon, bring about changes in glucose and fat metabolism leading to lower post-meal blood-sugars and long-term lowering of total and LDL cholesterol.***
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*“Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation.” Nutrition Reviews, May 2001. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2001.tb07001.x/abstract
**“Increasing Total Fiber Intake Reduces Risk of Weight and Fat Gains in Women.” J. Nutr. March 2009. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/3/576.Full
***“Dietary fiber, inulin, and oligofructose: a review comparing their physiological effects.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 1993. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8257475