Do You Really Need To Eat More Fiber?

I am not shy about elimination discussions. Being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis has made me more familiar with intestines, bowels, and poop than I ever wanted to be. But on the bright side, it has led me to do a significant amount of reading and research on digestion, digestive health and in particular this stupidly IGNORANT claim that the cure all for constipation or digestive distress is to take a fiber supplement.

If I had a dime every time I heard some fitness professional say “oh take Metamucil/Benefiber/Senna” to clients with constipation issues I could retire.

Not only are these suggestions ineffective they can actually make things worse.

Not to mention muscle-stimulating laxatives like Senna harm the intestines and are actually addicting–your bowels become weakened and lazy over time. Eventually, if use continues long enough the body actually can lose the ability to stimulate its own bowels on a consistent basis. Lovely.

Fiber supplements can actually worsen constipation too. In fact if you read the studies that prompted the high fiber movement you will notice that the participants who had better bowel movements with fiber supplement usage also were not constipated in the beginning. Current and more recent studies done involving participants who began a high fiber diet after having constipation and/or digestive issues show that fiber supplementation actually exacerbated their condition.

A study done at the American College of Gastroenterology states: “The role of dietary fiber to treat chronic constipation is exaggerated. A low fiber diet has been proven not to be the cause of constipation and the success of fiber intake as treatment is modest.” The study conducted by Voderholzer et al showed that only 20% of slow transit patients benefited from fiber. Further data suggests that while many patients may be helped by a fiber-rich diet, some actually suffer from worsened symptoms when increasing their fiber intake.

So how does a fiber supplement make things worse?

Well, it’s dehydrating. And dehydration is a main cause of constipation. Successful elimination hinges on your body’s ability to draw water into the bowels to ease the passage of stool. Fruit and vegetables contain fiber paired with water and electrolytes but dry fiber supplements are stripped of these nutrients and dehydrate the digestive tract, which can make fecal matter more compact and difficult to eliminate.

Fiber supplements can also really throw the gut flora out of whack. Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride wrote in The Gut and Psychology Syndrome, “A diet high in fiber from fiber based supplements or grains like brans has a profoundly negative effect on gut flora, gut health and general body metabolism, predisposing the person to IBS, bowel cancer, nutritional deficiencies, and many other problems. Fruit and vegetables provide a much better quality fiber that is not as harsh on the digestive system.”

If you’ve tried a fiber supplement, likely you wound up with gas, bloating and belching. This is because fiber consumption often produces these symptoms due to the fermentation action of gut bacteria. Furthermore many popular grain based fiber supplements contain large amounts of phytic acid, a compound which “locks” onto minerals like zinc, copper, iron and calcium and prevents the body from absorbing them. I know I have talked about this before, but other cultures practice fermenting or soaking their grains to reduce the phytic acid and thereby making consumed minerals bioavailable. But modern grain products and whole unrefined grains (often deemed “healthy” and optimal) aren’t prepared this way and contain high amounts of phytic acid.

I’m not saying fiber is bad, I’m saying a healthy fiber balance from FOOD versus supplementation is best.

The Two Kinds of Fiber

Soluble fiber attracts water is found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables. It is also found in psyllium, a common fiber supplement. Some types of soluble fiber may help lower risk of heart disease. It tends to be more gentle on the digestive tract. Small amounts of this fiber acts as food for the bacteria – friendly and unfriendly bugs alike – in our digestive tract and is called a prebiotic.

Insoluble fiber does not absorb water. It is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetable skins (like potato skins) and whole grains. It adds bulk to the stool.

Then there are also things like glucans, gums, mucilages (like psyllium), pectins, and some hemicelluloses, which are soluble fibers, while cellulose, lignin, some pectins, and some hemicelluloses are insoluble fibers. Oat products and legumes (dry beans, peas, and lentils) are rich sources of soluble fiber.

What about the protein bars on the market today?

They are plant sugars, and in foods are used as binders and sweeteners. They are what make your little protein bar the sticky stick together “bar” that it is. But if it binds up your bar and makes it last forever, what do you think it does to your gut? The marketing claim is that these fibers are “healthy” and pass undigested into the colon where they promote growth of beneficial bacteria.

This is only partially true. Although yes, this type of fiber is found in natural food, and in small amounts is healthy, it is much cheaper for food companies to manufacture it in factories by applying enzymes to varying starch sources, so the “natural prebiotic fiber” most products claim to contain is actually a processed manufactured fiber. It’s fake fiber.

Fructans are also a MAJOR gut irritant and in most people cause intestinal gas, bloating, stomach cramps, and diarrhea especially if consumed in large amounts (more then 5-10g a day). One Quest bar (for example) has 18 grams. Happy farting.

These products also do not help constipation so be sure to read labels and look for oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, FOS, scFOS, inulin or any form of chicory to determine which foods contain added fructans.

So what do you do if you struggle with elimination and/or digestive issues? Well, for starters don’t just down Metamucil. Or pop a Senna tablet every night for weeks on end. Or think that the secret is to down a bag of broccoli. All you’ll get is gas and a nice belly bloat.

The best suggestions I have for digestive health and regularity are 1) to consume sufficient magnesium intake or even increase magnesium intake, which helps draw water into the bowels 2) to drink enough water 3) to incorporate SMALL amounts of fermented foods (i.e. some forkfuls of sauerkraut or kimchi not a whole cup) to help balance gut flora, and 4) to consume the right amount of fiber and in the right balance (soluble versus insoluble) which varies from person to person. Finding this usually takes trial and error. (and when adjusting fiber intake do so SLOWLY. Otherwise your guts will hate you).Do you