3 ways fiber supports weight loss?

Fiber is a component of plant-derived foods that humans cannot fully digest.  But how can fiber support weight loss?

At no surprise fiber provides many health benefits, and I’m convinced if you truly understood how beneficial fiber is you’d be more intentional about prioritizing it!  Most are aware of the benefits fiber provides with making you feel full longer, increasing satiety. But to date, fiber has very few studies showing that fiber alone can influence weight loss.   So why are we discussing fiber?

You see, the studies that have shown fiber to support weight loss have been in combination with probiotics.  As well as studies show modulating gut bacteria have the ability to influence weight loss. But! Fiber alone still modulates other health benefits that impact long-term outcomes of weight loss.

So we will include all three ways that fiber supports weight loss to help put the odds in your favor to maximize your results after bariatric surgery.

Fiber Recommendations

Today’s current recommendations for fiber are gender specific.

• Adult Men = 34 grams
• Adult Women = 28 grams

Unfortunately, the US population is below the recommendation of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

In fact, 90% of women & 97% of men eat less than the recommended guidelines and at no surprise, grains are the most common fiber consumed.

In my experience, fiber intake is actually worse among the bariatric community. Now, I get it.  Protein, protein, protein!  And I’m in agreement.  You have to eat protein first, but you have to find ways to include fiber.  Not to mention the concerns with carbs after bariatric surgery.  Most bariatric patients follow a high protein, low-carb diet.  But I want to show you that you can still follow a low-carb diet and get adequate fiber.

Low-Carb High Fiber for weight loss. You see, fiber goals can be met while still following a low-carb high protein diet for weight loss. As a matter of fact, a study published in 2021 studied two groups. A low-fat diet group and a low-carbohydrate group. The hypotheses was that the low-fat diet group would consume more fiber since they would be getting more carbohydrates.  Now they did find that this group over the course of the study did increase fiber intake.

But what about the low-carb group?

The low-carbohydrate group maintained their fiber intake, BUT more than DOUBLED their fiber from vegetables.   The concluding statement of the study was, “Quality food sources of fiber can be found in both low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets.” So there is no need to be worried about weight loss being altered when consuming fiber from carbohydrate sources.

Fiber plus probiotic for weight change another study published in 2021 was quite interesting. They found after a 12-week, double-blind, placebo controlled study, 100 patients with weight gain of more than 10% after taking atypical antipsychotic medications were recruited.

There were four groups:

1. Probiotics (840mg) twice daily, plus 30 grams dietary fiber twice daily
2. Probiotics (840mg) twice daily, plus placebo
3. Placebo plus dietary fiber(30 grams twice daily)
4. Placebo group

The primary outcome was the change in body weight.  The secondary outcomes included changes in metabolic syndrome parameters, appetite score, biomarkers associated with a change in weight and gut microbiota composition and function. But what about after bariatric surgery?  A study published in 2016 found that roux-en-y gastric bypass patients weight loss was 53.8% higher in the group using prebiotic fiber compared with the placebo group.  More specifically, fructo-oligosaccharides.(aka a FODMAP).

So as you can see, being intentional about consuming fiber is key to supporting your weight loss goals.

Let’s dig into 3 ways fiber can support you on your weight loss journey.

• Increases short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)
• Lowers inflammation
• Improves blood sugar regulation

Short-chain fatty acids produced from undigested fiber

SCFA are the main metabolites produced by bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber in the gastrointestinal tract. One of the mechanisms in which microbiota affects human health and disease is its capacity to produce either harmful metabolites associated with development of disease or beneficial metabolites that protect against disease.

When fermentable fibers are in short supply, microbes switch to energetically less favorable sources for growth, such as amino acids from dietary protein or dietary fats.  You see, protein fermentation can contribute to the SCFA pool, but mostly gives rise to branched-chain fatty acids, which unfortunately are implicated in insulin resistance. Not to mention, the SCFA butyrate has been extensively investigated for its role in the suppression of colon inflammation and carcinogenesis.

Additionally, in a healthy diet the bacterial fermentation of fiber into SCFAs promotes microbial diversity and is one mechanism by which high fiber intake inhibits weight gain. This leads us into number two, inflammation.

How fiber supports weight loss by lowering inflammation ?

We are all aware of the connection between low-grade inflammation and obesity.   But how does this occur?

A study published in 2018 found that diet supplementation with synbiotics prepared with selected strains of probiotics( lactobacillus gasseri strains).  They showed to exert weight-reduction and anti-inflammatory activity in large independent studies.  Their administration together with glactomannan and/or inulin fibers may increase weight management effects duet to synergistic effect on SCFA production and microbiota re-configuration.

As you can see, these are all interwoven.  One occurs because of the other.  So by working on increasing SCFA production, by increasing fiber intake.  Your intestines produce an anti-inflammatory effect. This leads us into the third way fiber supports weight loss.  Blood sugar balance.

How fiber supports weight loss by improving blood sugar balance ?

Blood sugar balance is an important piece to weight loss and maintenance.  But how does fiber influence blood sugar control?

Technically, since your body is unable to absorb and break down fiber, it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar.  Compared to carbohydrates that don’t contain fiber.

A study published in 2021 and they focused on Fructo-Oligosaccharides(FOS).  They are considered a soluble fiber and are plant sugars that occur in many fruits and vegetables.  These are foods such as, onion, chicory, garlic, asparagus, banana, artichoke to name a few. Even though they are the “sugar” of the plant they are still not digested in the small intestines.  Instead the bacteria in the colon metabolizes them producing short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs).

The fasting blood test showed an 8% reduction in serum glucose levels.  Another study published in 2009 found by adding FOS supplementation as the potential to promote weight loss and improve glucose regulation in overweight adults.  This was by way of suppressing ghrelin and enhancing PYY.

Conclusion

Although fiber alone is unlikely to improve weight loss.  Fiber can support your weight loss goals when combined with probiotics.  As well as lowering inflammation, balancing blood sugar and increasing the production of SCFA. The best approach is to consume a variety of fiber from multiple different plants and colors every single day.