A High-Fiber Diet May Be The Key To Your Weight-Loss

Could fiber be the key to weight-loss?

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester found that people who ate 30 grams of fiber per day lost just about as much weight as those who followed a more complicated diet.

The new year-long study shows how increasing fiber intake could produce even more beneficial effects than a "restrictive" plan that reduces saturated fat.

"We chose dietary fibre because it exerts clinical benefits on several components of metabolic syndrome, including waist circumference, glucose and lipid homeostasis, and insulin control, in addition to body weight and regulation of certain inflammatory markers," Dr Yunsheng Ma of the university, said via Reuters Health.

For the study, 240 obese adults with metabolic syndrome were divided into two groups. One followed the American Heart Association (AHA) diet plan, which involved increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grain or high fiber foods and lean proteins, minimizing sugar, sodium, alcohol, saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol, and eating fish twice weekly. The other group were required to eat at least 30 grams of fiber per day.

Statistics show that close to 25 percent of adults suffer from metabolic syndrome, including symptoms such as high blood sugar levels, low levels of HDL cholesterol and high levels of triglycerides; all these can increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular issues.

The AHA recommends that adults consume between 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily. However, the average American only gets about 15 grams.

Findings revealed that both groups lost weight and improved blood pressure levels, overall. However, the high-fiber group lost about a pound less than those on the AHA diet (4.6 to six). 

"We found that increasing dietary fiber was accompanied by a host of other healthy dietary changes, likely because high fiber foods displaced unhealthy foods in the diet. Asking people to make one dietary change can have collateral effects on the rest of their diet. We hope to study this further," concluded Sherry Pagoto, associate professor of medicine and co-investigator on the study.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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