In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleHow Was This Study Conducted & What Did It Show?How Does This Apply to Real Life?
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
How Was This Study Conducted & What Did It Show?
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
Close
Photo:Getty Images
Getty Images
Fiber may be one of the most talked-about nutrients, but most of us still don’t get enough of it. Specifically, 90% of women and 97% of men in the U.S. aren’t eating the recommended amount of fiber (28 to 34 grams per day, depending on age and sex).
What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Eat Enough Fiber
Fiber is necessaryfor many reasons. It helps keep waste moving through your intestines and out of your body. During this process, fiber scrubs your intestines clean and even removes toxins. Fiber provides food for your beneficial gut bacteria (because even bacteria need to eat!), which helps to create a healthy, thriving microbiome. Fiber can alsoaid in healthy weight loss and managementsince eating plenty of it helps fill you up and slows down digestion, keeping you full and satisfied longer.
Fiber has also been linked to living longer anda reduced risk of disease, including heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. And now, a new study published on October 7, 2024, inNutrientssuggests getting enough fiber on a regular basis may decrease your risk of metabolic syndrome.Here’s what you need to know.
Researchers from Australia and New Zealand drew data from a previous study called PROMISE (Predictors Linking Obesity and Gut Microbiome) that was conducted between July 2016 and September 2017. They used body mass index (BMI) data from 287 PROMISE participants who were Pacific Islander women (44% of participants) and New Zealand European women (56% of participants). They were 18 to 45 years old, free of chronic disease and had either a normal BMI (18-24.9 kg/m2) or a BMI indicating obesity (BMI >30 kg/m2).
Body mass index(BMI) is a measure that’s often used in healthcare to determine a person’s body weight category such as overweight or obese, and therefore, chronic disease risk. However, it has limitations and does not account for individual factors that influence one’s health status, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, sex and age. This is why it shouldn’t be used as a comprehensive measure of someone’s health andcan be a source of body size stigma and bias.
Because these researchers recognized that people with the same BMI can havedramatically different body composition, they were also placed into one of two body fat percentage groups: low BF% (<35%) or high BF% (>35%).
Data for the study was collected during two clinic visits, between 11 and 14 days apart, as well as home visits.
Besides weight, height and body composition assessments, study participants underwent several other tests, including blood pressure and blood work testing for glucose and lipid profiles. Metabolic syndrome was assessed based on the accepted definition of having three out of five risk factors:
What Is Metabolic Syndrome? And 3 Sneaky Signs You Might Have It
Participants’ diets were assessed using a five-day nonconsecutive estimated food record that participants filled out themselves between clinic visits, which was then reviewed with a registered dietitian. They also completed an online food frequency questionnaire regarding the past 30 days’ food intake. This was then assessed using a food composition database to break down nutrient intake, including fiber.
After several statistical analyses were run, researchers found that every 1-gram increase of dietary fiber consumed was associated with 9% lower odds of metabolic syndrome. In other words, as dietary fiber intake went up, the risk of metabolic syndrome went down.
Aussies and New Zealanders aren’t the only ones at risk for metabolic syndrome. As many as one-third of Americans have the condition, too.If left unchecked, metabolic syndrome increases the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes andnonalcoholic fatty liver disease—to name a few.
To know if you’re eating enough fiber, it helps to know how much fiber is in the foods you normally eat. TheUSDA has a handy online resourceto help you with that.
Foods rich in fiber includewhole grains—like oats, whole-wheat bread, brown rice and quinoa—as well as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.
12 Foods with More Fiber Than an Apple
You might also be able to tell if you’re eating enough fiber based on yourpooping habits. Are you pooping every day? Are you fully voiding—as in, do you feel like you got it all out? Are they well-formed poops? You may go every day, but if they come out looking like rabbit poops—little pellets—you’re probably constipated. Human poop should be soft, but not too soft, and ideally is uniform and sort of sausage-shaped.
Because fiber helps stabilize blood sugar and fills you up,if you’re constantly ravenousand frequently getting that “hangry” feeling, you might not be eating enough fiber—or protein and healthy fats. And since fiber also feeds your gut’s beneficial bacteria, it can affect your gut health. You may know yourgut bacteria is out of balancewith a few key signs—like frequent headaches, persistent fatigue, eczema and increased stress or anxiety.
The Bottom Line
Eatfermented foods—like yogurt, kefir, kimchi and tempeh—to add more beneficial bacteria to your gut. And include foods rich in fiber each day to feed those bacteria—including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Eating a varied, balanced diet will help you get the nutrients you need for overall good health. Other habits that influence factors related to metabolic syndrome include regular physical activity,getting plenty of quality sleepand managing your stressors.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for America, 2020-2025.Renall N, Merz B, Douwes J, et al.Dietary fibre intake, adiposity and metabolic disease risk in Pacific and New Zealand European women.Nutrients. 2024;16(19):3399. doi: 10.3390/nu16193399National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for America, 2020-2025.Renall N, Merz B, Douwes J, et al.Dietary fibre intake, adiposity and metabolic disease risk in Pacific and New Zealand European women.Nutrients. 2024;16(19):3399. doi: 10.3390/nu16193399National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for America, 2020-2025.Renall N, Merz B, Douwes J, et al.Dietary fibre intake, adiposity and metabolic disease risk in Pacific and New Zealand European women.Nutrients. 2024;16(19):3399. doi: 10.3390/nu16193399National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?
United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for America, 2020-2025.
Renall N, Merz B, Douwes J, et al.Dietary fibre intake, adiposity and metabolic disease risk in Pacific and New Zealand European women.Nutrients. 2024;16(19):3399. doi: 10.3390/nu16193399
National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?
