The Skinny on Fibre

Why we love fibre:

• Weight Management: Fibre is perfect for keeping you full and satiated.
• Sugar Control: Fibre binds to sugar in the gut, releasing them slowly in the blood ensuring that we avoid blood-sugar spikes.
• Cholesterol Assistance: LDL (type of cholesterol) levels can be reduced as well as their size – changing the particles to big, fluffy healthy forms of LDL if you eat enough fibre.
• Detox help: Fibre also binds to metals and toxins helping our body eliminate them better.

Like so many other health issues, it all comes back to your gut. The health of your gut affects everything from your immune system to your moods. Poor diets have little fibre, are inflammatory and full of over-processed food and sugar. If you don’t get enough fibre, you won’t have enough “food” to feed the healthy bacteria in your gut, and this is KEY to good health. Healthy gut bacteria is everything.

Our digestive enzymes can’t break down vegetable fibre, so it is intact as it moves through the digestive tract. And as it travels, the healthy microbes in our gut feed off the fiber’s vitamins, nutrients, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Too little fibre will starve these microbes, causing some to die off, while others end up eating the mucus lining of the digestive wall, and it becomes permeable, known as Leaky Gut Syndrome. This makes you more prone to infection as well. This weakens the immune system, a large part of which depends on these microbes, the body becomes inflamed and we are more susceptible to illness and obesity.

What is the up-to-date science literature showing us?

• A huge 2024 meta-analysis involving more than 3 million subjects showed that the higher the intake of daily dietary fibre, the lower the risk of all-cause deaths by 23%. In particular, a reduction in heart disease death by 26%, and cancer-related mortality 22%!
• Studies also show that dietary fibre (especially those that ferment in the gut- think onions, leeks, inulin, oats, apples and berries) help improve insulin sensitivity, regulate blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. This 2013 study may be older, but it doesn’t take away how important the results are- a high-fibre diet was given (with around 42g/day) or fibre supplements (15g/day) for 8 to 24 weeks, the results? Reduced fasting glucose by 0.55 mmol/L (9.97 mg/dL) and HbA1c by 5%, making fibre an incredible, natural tool in blood sugar management.
• Another reason to become more mindful of your fibre intake? Soluble fibre helps lower LDL cholesterol by binding to bile acids and this reduces cholesterol levels.

How much do we need? Guidelines typically suggest

• 25-35 grams of fibre per day for women and
• 35-38 grams of fibre per day for men
• From 30-50 grams of fibre per day for some individuals with type 2 diabetes and wanting to control cholesterol levels

Are you getting enough?
Count your fibre intake from the list below and see if you are reaching your goals. And remember, increase your fibre slowly and when upping your fibre always ensure you drink enough water too.

Ref: Canadian Nutrient File 2015.