Study Identifies a Dietary Fiber That is Most Effective for Weight Loss

Summary: High dietary fiber intake is known to be associated with better metabolic health.
However, a new study comparing different types of dietary fibers found that beta-glucan,
which is especially high in whole grains, is among the best for weight loss.

Everyone has heard that dietary fibers are good for metabolic health. A diet high in dietary
fiber is good for weight loss, heart health, and reducing colon cancer risk. However, there
are many different kinds of dietary fibers, and not all are equal. A new study finds that beta-
glucan in cereals and oats is especially good for weight loss.

The results of the study were published in The Journal of Nutrition. In the study, researchers
fed mice with different kinds of dietary fibers and found that beta-glucan was associated with
the greatest weight loss.

Dietary fibers are often neglected, as they do not provide calories, and unlike vitamins or
minerals, they do not participate in critical chemical reactions in the body. Nonetheless,
these seemingly inert substances are vital to gut and metabolic health.

Digestive fibers cannot be broken or digested by the human digestive system. However,
once they reach our gut, they are utilized by gut microbiota to produce many useful
compounds like short-chain fatty acids, known to play an important role in immunity. So, they
provide us with vital nutrients indirectly.

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However, that is not all. Dietary fibers help regulate gut motility. They help prevent leaky gut
and more. Thus, they have many direct and indirect health benefits.

Thus, a diet high in dietary fiber is known to reduce cholesterol levels. Dietary fibers also
help slow down glucose absorption and thus help prevent insulin resistance. They are
essential for gut health and prevent many gut health issues.

People who switch to a high dietary fiber diet report feeling better, lower fatigue, higher
energy levels, improved mood, and more.

However, it is also vital to understand that many kinds of dietary fibers exist. Each has some
unique health effects. The difference between various dietary fibers is still among the
neglected topics.

Firstly, it is vital to understand that soluble and non-soluble fibers exist. Non-soluble fibers
absorb lots of water and promote gut motility. Non-soluble fibers form a gel-like substance,
help lower bad cholesterol, and slow down glucose absorption.

Researchers fed lab mice with different kinds of fiber for 18 weeks to understand the
difference between various dietary fibers. They particularly focused on the following 5 types
of dietary fibers:

1. Pectin – a soluble fiber found mainly in fruits.
2. Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber found in cereals and is especially high in mushrooms,
   oats, and seaweeds.
3. Wheat dextrin
4. Resistant starch – though a kind of starch, it acts as dietary fiber, mainly fermented
   by gut microbiota.
5. Cellulose – insoluble fiber of plant origin.

After feeding different mice groups with these five kinds of dietary fibers, researchers
measured their body fat levels, cholesterol, gut microbiota, and how much short-chained
fatty acids they produced.

In this competition of dietary fibers, beta-glucan emerged as a clear victor. Though all dietary
fibers were good for altering gut microbiota and increasing the production of short-chained
fatty acids, beta-glucan was the best for reducing fat mass and insulin resistance.

Researchers say that they were not amazed by the metabolic effects of dietary fibers.
However, they were surprised to find that beta-glucan was significantly better than other
types of dietary fibers.

So, for optimal health, increase intake of all kinds of dietary fibers. As far as beta-glucan is
concerned, its levels are exceptionally high in mushrooms, wheat, maize, rice, barley, and
oats. This highlights the importance of consuming many whole grains for optimal metabolic
health.

Source:
Howard, E. J., Meyer, R. K., Weninger, S. N., Martinez, T., Wachsmuth, H. R., Pignitter, M.,
Auñon-Lopez, A., Kangath, A., Duszka, K., Gu, H., Schiro, G., Laubtiz, D., & Duca, F. A.
(2024). Impact of Plant-Based Dietary Fibers on Metabolic Homeostasis in High-Fat Diet
Mice via Alterations in the Gut Microbiota and Metabolites. The Journal of Nutrition, 154(7),
2014–2028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.05.003