Increase in fibre reduces calorie absorbtion?

CBunny5

I was talking about this with a friend yesterday and although it makes sense to me from a logical point of view, I wondered whether there was any truth in it.

"If you don't have enough fibre in your diet you'll absorb more calories from your food as it takes longer to go through your system. So increasing the amount of fibre in your diet but not changing the amount of calories a day you eat will mean your body will have less time to absorb it and it will be like you ate less than normal"

jewelzz

bump

nananie2

I don't know how much of this is true... I've always heard that eating more fibre made you less hungry, because they tend to swell in your stomach, leaving you feeling more "full".

I'd be curious to know what a nutritionist would say about this.

Kelly_Wilson1990

This is an interesting article on fiber from the Harvard School of Public Health:

The Nutrition Source - Fiber: Start Roughing It!

Introduction

Fiber is one of those nutrients that many of us know is important but that remains a bit of a mystery. Exactly what is it? What are the best sources of fiber? And what are its health benefits? Here we try to answer these and other questions.

Health Gains From Whole Grains:The latest research on whole grains and health

Vegetables and Fruits: Get Plenty Every Day: How these fiber- and vitamin-rich foods can boost your heart health

Basically, the term fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Fiber is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. However, not all fiber is the same, and there are a number of ways to categorize it. One is by its source or origin. For example, fiber from grains is referred to as cereal fiber. Another way of categorizing fiber is by how easily it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. These differences are important when it comes to fiber's effect on your risk of developing certain diseases.

Current recommendations suggest that children and adults consume at least 20 grams of dietary fiber per day from food, not supplements. The more calories you eat each day, the more fiber you need; teens and men may require upwards of 30 to 35 grams per day or more. Yet the average American eats only 15 grams of dietary fiber a day. (View a table of specific fiber recommendations based on age, gender, and estimated calorie needs.)
Health Effects of Eating Fiber

Long heralded as part of a healthy diet, fiber appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation. Despite what many people may think, however, fiber probably has little, if any effect on colon cancer risk.

The Bottom Line: Recommendations for Fiber

Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, and you should get a least 20 grams a day, more is better. The best sources are whole grain foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts.

Some tips for increasing fiber intake:

Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products.
Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast.
Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.
Substitute legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.
Experiment with international dishes (such as Indian or Middle Eastern) that use whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (as in Indian dahls) or in salads (for example, tabbouleh).

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber-full-story/index.html

CBunny5

That article doesn't mention what I mentioned but I'd assume that means it's more likely not to be true

LilMissDotti

Hmm I'm on the fence as to whether or not I think this is true. If you eat too much fibre then you are at risk of vitamin and mineral malnutrition because they often are passed through too quickly without being absorbed. In theory, it would make sense that this would be the case for macronutrients (and therefore calories) although I'm not sure this would be discussed because it is clearly very dangerous. Also, macronutrients in general are much more easily absorbed than micronutrients so it may not occur at all. This is at extreme levels of fibre intake - not the 30 or so grams per day that most people struggle to meet as it is.