A diet rich in fiber? No, it’s not for everyone

Fiber is always a lottery game, and one of the arguments on which studies take sides against or in favor: previously, in fact, some studies had indicated that a diet rich in fiber , with ten servings, and no longer five, of fruit and vegetables a day, it was ideal for losing weight, for a variety of reasons. From the improvement of the intestinal bacterial flora, directly related to weight loss, to an increase in satiety during meals , up to a tendency to burn more calories thanks to the increase in postprandial thermogenesis (see here , here , here ).
Other studies, however, athe advantages of a diet rich in fiber to lose weight were reduced: here two studies opposed to the “fashion of fiber” as a panacea for all ills and a remedy for weight loss, here, a recent study that reduces the daily portions of fruit and vegetables to three useful in losing weight

And now comes yet another analysis that calls for caution: if wholemeal pasta and bread create persistent swelling, if large portions of fruit and vegetables, even in liquid form, create constipation, well, make up for it. Too many fibers are not for you. A diet rich in fiber works to lose weight only for some, that is, for those who have a bacterial flora favorable to them. This is what the study revealsby Drs Mads Hjorth and Arne Astrup of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen. Eating more fiber is not always a useful strategy to fight overweight, precisely because each of us is different from a bacterial-intestinal point of view

Based on a sample of 62 obese patients who responded differently to a higher intake of whole foods, fruits and vegetables, the experts found that those who had more intestinal bacteria of the Prevotella type compared to Bacteroides lost weight by eating more fiber, without swelling and side effects. , and with a reduction in waist fat; those who had an inverse relationship had a modest weight loss, so much so that they thought they would have had greater success with another diet.But how many have more bacteria of one type and how many of another?
Experts think about half of the population is one way and half the other. So you have a one in two chance that an increase in fiber could make you lose weight: if after ten days of whole foods, fruit and vegetables in larger quantities and fiber supplements such as glucomannan, psyllium or chia seeds you have not lost weight but on the contrary you feel bloated. and uncomfortable, do not despair: your bacteria work differently.