5 main side effects of not getting enough fiber, according to science

It’s no secret that fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet, and researchers have found another reason to fill your plate with roughage. A recent study published in the American Society for Microbiology found this increasing food intake for a short time can have a major impact on the digestive system.

University of California Irvine (UCI) graduate students were instructed to consume ten high-fiber, unprocessed meals each week – for a total of 25 grams of fiber per day, on average – for two consecutive weeks, while collecting their stool samples in order to monitor their gut microbial composition. At the end of the 14-day experiment, the professors found that the students’ gut flora had been “dramatically altered,” which included an increase in a group of beneficial Bifidobacterium bacteria.

“At this time of a pandemic, when we need our immune health and healthy vaccine responses, we encourage everyone to think about the plant diversity in their diets and add beans, berries and avocados there. where they can, ”said Katrine Whiteson, an associate professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at the UCI Microbiome Initiative, in a press release.

The study authors noted that the average North American consumes about less than 50% of recommended fiber levels, while the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 labeled fiber as one of the “dietary components of concern for. the public health of the American population in general ”. (Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods To Eat Right Now).

“Lack of fiber means the gut microbiome is not optimized and research is starting to understand all of the myriad health consequences associated with the gut microbiome, including your immune system,” says Julie Upton, MS, RD, founding partner of nutritional marketing and the communication company AFH Consulting.

How Much Fiber Should You Eat Daily?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advises women to consume about 25 grams of fiber per day and men to consume about 38 grams (or 14 grams per 1,000 calories) per day. Since dietary fiber is found in plant foods, Upton adds that the reason most Americans have limited fiber intake is due to high consumption of processed meals and low consumption of fruits and vegetables. She also points out a possible pitfall that can arise if you are a fan of a low-carb lifestyle.

“People on low-carb diets can often fill up on protein and fat and forget that the staple of the healthiest low-carb diets, like an Atkins 100 diet, is vegetable based, not a lot of meat and other animal protein,” she says.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests doing high-fiber food swaps, like going for steel cut oats over a bowl of sweet cereal and choosing whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta. Plus, the academy recommends adding more high-fiber fruits, including raspberries and pears, and vegetables such as peas and broccoli to your plate.

“Skimping on fiber can have serious long-term health consequences,” Upton adds. Here, we’ve come up with five reasons why you might want to make fiber your friend, and then don’t miss 9 warning signs you’re not eating enough fiber.

If your diet is lacking in fiber, you may experience …

As your fiber intake increases, the scale will likely decrease. A study published in the Nutrition Journal looked at the effects of fiber on losing extra pounds in participants who ate a calorie-restricted diet for six months. Even compared to other macronutrients, including “good” fats (such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids), dietary fiber helped promote weight loss, while helping overweight and obese volunteers adhere to their healthier lifestyles.

“It’s simple: fiber keeps you full longer and reduces carbohydrate cravings,” says Upton.

Yes, your gut health may be associated with your emotional state. Medical researchers from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) have studied the possible links between dietary fiber and women of various ages and life stages. The study, which involved more than 5,800 women and was published in the journal Menopause, found that the risk of depression in premenopausal women could be affected by their fiber intake.

While more research is needed, researchers believe that fiber promotes a diverse gut microbiome, which in turn can produce neurotransmitters. As to why postmenopausal women did not benefit from this gut-brain interaction, the authors believe the answer lies in estrogen depletion, as estrogen is a balancing factor in the gut microbiota.

“Nonetheless, it has never been truer that ‘you are what you eat’, given that what we eat has a profound effect on the gut microbiome which appears to play a key role in health and disease,” NAMS Medical Director Dr. Stephanie Faubion says in a press release.

In a meta-analysis that looked at the results of 18 studies, authors from the University of Cambridge found that volunteers who consumed the most fiber – mostly grains and vegetables –each day (an average of 26 grams) reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 18% compared to those who consumed a small amount of fiber (19 grams or less). However, when researchers added body mass index (BMI) to the equation, fiber no longer made a difference, leading experts to believe that fiber may be associated with maintaining body weight. healthy, which plays a key role in preventing diabetes.

“Fiber slows the release of blood sugar into the bloodstream, helping to keep your energy levels more stable over time,” Upton adds.

European researchers have analyzed an impressive amount of data – 185 observational studies and 58 clinical trials over a period of 40 years – on healthy adults. They focused on premature deaths caused by multiple conditions, including cardiovascular disease such as coronary heart disease, as well as cardiovascular events such as stroke, and calculated that for every 8 grams of daily increase in fiber can lead to a 5-27% decrease in disease risk. suffering (or dying) from coronary heart disease, among other life-threatening illnesses.

“Fiber helps trap and excrete unhealthy cholesterol, so this is one of the reasons people on high fiber diets tend to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease,” says Upton.

While eating more high-fiber foods means taking more trips to the bathroom, it could also be a sign of more birthday cakes in your future. In an article published in Gerontology journals using data from more than 1,600 adults over the age of 50, Australian medical researchers found that fiber intake had the strongest effect on successful aging – a term that describes the lack of a diagnosis of functional disability , depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, and chronic illnesses (including cancer).

“Basically, we found that those with the most fiber or total fiber in fact had an almost 80% higher probability of living a long, healthy life over a ten-year follow-up,“Bamini Gopinath, PhD, lead author of the study, said in a press release.

And don’t forget to check out a surprising side effect of eating more fiber, according to science.