Dietary Fiber Infographic: Why Fiber is Essential to Digestive Health

Dietary fiber helps promote digestive health through its modulation of laxation, fermentation, and effects on gut microbiota.¹

What is Fiber?

Fiber has traditionally been categorized as soluble or insoluble. While there is no universal definition for fiber, for purposes of the Nutrition & Supplement Facts Panel, it includes both naturally occurring ‘intrinsic and intact’ fibers in plants and synthetic carbohydrates that the Food & Drug Administration has determined to have physiological benefits.²

Fiber and Digestion: Properties of Fiber

Dietary fiber may be categorized by properties of solubility, viscosity, and fermentation. While there is likely overlap between groups, this helps relate the types of fiber to health outcomes.³

• Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a thick gel-like substance in the stomach, which is broken down by bacteria in the large intestine, provides some calories, can help slow digestion.⁴
• Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and may pass through gut relatively intact, not a source of calories, can help with laxation and regularity.⁴
• Fiber gels with water, influences chyme consistency and can improve nutrient digestion and absorption.³
• Fermentable fiber produces short-chain fatty acids which increase bioavailability of some minerals and can inhibit pathogenic bacteria.¹
• Prebiotics serve as a food for beneficial bacteria in the gut and can help promote a balanced gut microbiota.⁵

Sources of Dietary Fiber

• Oats
• Brown Rice
• Legumes
• Nuts and seeds
• Brussels sprouts
• Fruits with peel 
• Garlic
• Onions

Only around 5% of Americans get the amount of fiber they need each day.⁶ Most Americans consume ~1/2 of the recommended fiber each day.⁴

To increase fiber consumption, experts recommend focusing on food and flavor. Promoting a variety of appealing and flavorful fiber-rich foods helps consumers achieve different health benefits.⁶

Please click on "Click to view" or on the image to the right to download this resource to learn more about dietary fiber’s essential role in digestive health.

References

1. Dahl WJ, Stewart ML. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115(11):1861-1870.
2. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2016-27949. Published 2016.
3. O'Grady J, O'Connor EM, Shanahan F. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2019;49(5):506-515.
4. USDA. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/1516/Table_1_NIN_GEN_15.pdf. Published 2016.
5. Gibson GR, et al. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;14(8):491-502
6. Quagliani D, Felt-Gunderson P. American journal of lifestyle medicine. 2016;11(1):80-85. USDA
7. Food Data Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/