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Should I consume more dietary fiber?

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
 
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25 June 2024, 19:57

Nutritionists typically advise everyone to eat more dietary fiber, but a new study from Cornell University shows that its health effects may vary from person to person. The findings suggest that recommendations should be tailored to each individual’s gut microbiome.

The study, published in the journal Gut Microbes, focused on resistant starch, a category of dietary fiber found in foods such as bread, cereal, green bananas, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and potatoes.

Researchers have identified the types of gut microbes that change in response to two different types of resistant starch. They have found evidence that each person may have a unique response to eating resistant starch, with some people benefiting while others experience little or no effect. The reason appears to be related to the level of diversity and composition of a person’s gut microbiome.

"Precise nutrition definitely matters in determining what dietary fiber we should recommend to people," said Angela Poole, associate professor of molecular nutrition and senior author of the study.

“This is critical because for decades we’ve been telling people to eat more fiber,” Poole said. “Yet less than 10 percent of people are consuming the recommended amount. Because there are so many different types of fiber and carbohydrates, the best strategy would be to collect data on each person and tell them what fiber they can eat to get the most benefit.”

In the study, Poole and her colleagues tested three dietary regimens on 59 participants over seven weeks.

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