It used to be pretty much universally accepted that we need fiber in out diets. In addition to the widely-known effects on gastrointestinal health, research indicates benefits in blood pressure control and cardiovascular health, and overall inflammation control.

Even so, in recent years, the healthfulness of dietary fiber has been called in to question by some experts.

While the alternative medicine community is often quick to point out that government dietary guidelines are often influenced to some degree by profit-driven corporate interests, we don’t really have “big fiber” promoting fiber intake like we do for things like dairy, wheat, meat, etc.. Yes, there is a push for whole grains, and fiber kind of goes along for the ride with them, but the profit motive for the promotion of fiber in and of itself is relatively small.

Generally those poo-pooing fiber (or not poo-pooing as the case may be), have tended to be promoters of the ketogenic and carnivore diets. This makes sense because those diets are essentially devoid of fiber and it’s difficult to be all-in on a diet if you believe it completely omits a necessary nutrient.

There’s a few reasons that the ketogenic/carnivore diet folks bring up to dismiss fiber as unnecessary and possibly even unhealthy.

First up is the fact that adding significant fiber to the diet tends to increase gas and gastrointestinal symptoms. This is true, but there’s a bit more to the story.

Fiber is consumed to a degree by the gut bacteria. In the process, they produce gas. If you suddenly increase your fiber intake, they typically produce an excess of gas, which causes bloating and discomfort – usually temporarily, while the body and microbes adapts to the change. On the other hand, if you suddenly decrease your fiber intake, gas and bloating drops for a time.

But one of the upsides of fiber intake is that the gut bacteria use fiber to produce what are called short-chain fatty acids, which in turn nourish the gut lining and enhance the absorption of nutrients and intestinal motility. But the ketogenic fans point out that the short-chain fatty acids further get converted to ketones and a ketogenic diet therefore has the same beneficial effect on the gut lining as fiber, but without the gas and other symptoms. Current research just doesn’t bear this out – while ketones have some beneficial effects, the short-chain fatty acids themselves appear to have significantly greater benefits on the cells of the gut wall.

One study that is pointed to by anti-fiber folks showed that those on the highest fiber diet had the greatest problems with constipation, while those who eliminated fiber from their diets eliminated all constipation symptoms. Numerous other studies have contradicted these findings, so what makes this study different?

Well, for one thing, it started with subjects already on a “high fiber diet” who were suffering from severe constipation symptoms – although “high fiber” was not defined in terms of amount nor type. The subjects were then split up into groups consuming various amounts of fiber (again specific amounts and type were not revealed) from high fiber to no fiber at all. The other thing that was not discussed was water intake. Increasing fiber intake without increasing water consumption is a recipe for problems. If water intake was not increased in the high fiber group, it’s not a big surprise that their constipation symptoms worsened. It’s also not a surprise that eliminating fiber consumption might get rid of symptoms for a time, especially if the subjects were not adequately hydrated for whatever their fiber consumption was.

That said, everyone is different and it’s entirely possible that some people may do better on low to no fiber consumption. But I think most people do better overall consuming the recommended amount of fiber (25 to 40 grams per day). Most Americans fall short of the recommended amount, and it’s probably worth the effort to work on getting one’s fiber intake to this level.

This can be done with diet and/or supplementation. I prefer the diet method, as it means eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and/or whole grains that are also rich in other important nutrients. There’s numerous charts online with the fiber content of various foods, so I won’t go into it here. Suffice it to say that I suggest gradually increasing the consumption of plant-based foods at each meal (including snacks) over a period of weeks and back off a bit if you start to experience excess gas and/or bloating.

In terms of supplementation, powdered psyllium husk is probably the most popular and widely available. It comes as a powder that you mix with water, juice, etc.. It comes in capsules as well, but you need to take a lot of pills to equal what you get in a scoop of powder to mix with liquid. It is a form of soluble fiber, which forms a gel if you don’t mix it thoroughly or let it sit after mixing. Assuming you mix it with adequate liquid, it will generally be a bit easier on the GI tract than the insoluble fiber that is in greater proportion in foods.

So, if you have a lot of symptoms while increasing fiber-rich foods, supplementing with psyllium husk powder will probably make things easier. Likewise, if you’re committed to sticking to a ketogenic diet, psyllium will allow you to benefit from fiber without adding any absorbable carbs that might interfere with your diet goals.

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.