Many recent food trends, from high-protein to ‘angel hair’ chocolate, have been driven by TikTok. One of the newest such trends on the platform is known as is ‘fibremaxxing’ - putting as much fibre in meals as possible to try to up one’s intake of the carbohydrate.
One of the drivers behind this is weight loss. But can fibre actually help consumers lose weight?
Is fibre popular with consumers?
Fibre is a carbohydrate found in foods such as pulses, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Despite often being overshadowed by protein, fibre has seen growing interest from consumers, with ‘high fibre’ claims significantly growing in recent years.
The ‘fibremaxxing’ trend is in some way the culmination of this. TikTok food trends, while often associated with gimmicks or unusual food combinations, are in this case leading the app’s users towards consuming a healthy ingredient in abundance.
How can fibre help you feel more full?
Previous research has found that a high-fibre diet can improve satiety, the feeling of being full.
One recent study, published in the journal Science, found that fibre consumption releases Peptide Tyrosine Tyrosine (PYY), an appetite-reducing hormone.
In the study, researchers found that high-fibre foods were far more likely to stimulate the release of PYY than lower-fibre foods, regardless of processing. This was the case even for foods which were broken down in structure, such as pureed chickpeas or apple juice.
Fibre induces satiety in a range of other ways as well. An earlier review by the British Nutrition Foundation explains that fibre provides bulk to food, increasing satiety. Bulk essentially adds volume to food without the associated calories.
Dietary fibre also slows energy and nutrient absorption and gastric emptying (the process of the stomach emptying food into the small intestine). Fibre-rich foods often involve more chewing, which increases satiety through a reduction in the rate of ingestion.
The review suggests that because diets recommended for people with obesity are often low in fat and energy and therefore low-satiety, adding fibre to them will help people with obesity feel full, and thus eat less and lose weight.
However, it stressed that not all types of dietary fibre are satiating.
How does fibre affect the microbiome?
As well as increasing satiety, the success of fibre in preventing weight gain may be linked to the gut microbiome.
One study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, found that high gut microbiota diversity was negatively associated with weight gain, but positively correlated with high fibre intake.
Previous studies have shown that low gut microbiome diversity is often linked with obesity, although here, the researchers emphasised that they were not sure which was the cause and which the effect.
The researchers here found that fibre consumption made those with a highly diverse microbiome less likely to gain weight, although this wasn’t the case for those with a low microbiome diversity.
The researchers hypothesised that fibre may be more likely to prevent weight gain in individuals with a highly diverse microbiome.
What other benefits does fibre have?
As well as weight loss, fibre has a wide range of other health benefits.
One of the most prominent of these is digestive health. Fibre is well-known for its capacity to improve digestion.
It is also, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), linked with a reduction in the risk of type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and bowel cancer.
What happens if you have too much fibre?
Like with everything (including protein), it is possible to have too much fibre.
Followers of the trend should be aware that too much fibre may cause cramping, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea and dehydration, according to the British Nutrition Foundation. It may also prevent the absorption of key nutrients.
Furthermore, it may to loose stools (watery bowel movements), according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). The NHS recommends around 30g per day.
