Editorial
Dietary fiber and control of body weight

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Introduction

Overweight and obesity have dramatically increased in the last few decades, both in industrialized and in developing countries. While the protective effect of a fiber-rich diet against cardiovascular disease or Type II-diabetes have been widely recognized, however, the possible effects of dietary fiber on weight maintenance or loss are still debated.

Section snippets

Dietary fiber

This general term covers a large number of molecules (e.g. cellulose, hemi-celluloses, pectins, gums etc.) present in plant foods that have the specific property not to be digested in the upper part of the gut but to be fermented in the colon to a variable extent. Although not considered to be nutrients per se, their influence on metabolism and benefits for health have been known for decades.

A cross-cultural study

Between 1958 and 1964, 12,763 men from 16 cohorts were investigated in the well-known Seven Countries Study. A specific assessment has recently been performed [1]. Mean dietary fiber intake ranged from 21.0 to 57.2 gram per day (g/d) in the 16 cohorts, with subjects mean body mass index (BMI) ranging from 21.8 to 26.6. Population-average total dietary fiber intake was inversely associated with population-average subscapular skinfold thickness, a surrogate marker of truncal fat, in both

Cross-sectional studies

A study performed in Canada [2] evaluated fiber intake in three groups of 50 subjects: lean (BMI ≤ 27), moderately obese (BMI 27.1–39.9) and severely obese (BMI ≥ 40). Fiber intake was significantly higher in the group of lean subjects (mean = 18.8 g/d) compared to moderately obese (mean = 13.3 g/d) or severely obese (mean = 13.7 g/d) subjects. Total fiber intake (g/d or g per 1000 Kcal) was inversely associated with BMI (p < 0.01) after adjusting for gender, age, educational level and income. This agreed

Prospective studies

One of the most frequently cited studies has been by Ludwig et al. [6] who assessed the relationship between dietary fiber intake, weight gain and other cardiovascular risk factors in a prospective cohort (CARDIA) of 2909 healthy young African and Caucasian men and women. The healthy young adults (18 to 30 years at enrollment) were studied after a 10-year follow-up. Intakes of total dietary fiber were 5.9 and 10.5 g/4184 kJ/d in the lowest and highest quintile, respectively. In the highest

Intervention studies

Sadly, only limited information is available from interventions studies to validate this concept. The data obtained are summarized in several recent reviews [13], [14], [15]. Howarth et al. [13] concluded from 12 published intervention studies that when energy intake is ad libitum, an additional consumption of 14 g/d dietary fiber is associated with a body-weight loss of 1.9 kg over 3.8 months. This is comparable to a 10% decrease in energy intake. Interestingly, obese subjects exhibited a greater

Possible mechanisms

It has been advocated for a long time that foods rich in dietary fiber provide less energy and more satiety than low-fiber ones. Indeed, dietary fibers, depending on the level of fermentation in the colon required, can provide the body with 0–2 kcal/g. To investigate this, Pereira and Ludwig [14] reviewed 27 clinical studies and concluded that most studies show that an increased fiber intake leads to a reduced energy intake of about 10%. Other studies, as reviewed by Howarth et al. [13] and

Conclusion

Important epidemiological evidence supports the concept that diets rich in fiber (mainly from cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables) are associated with lower body weight or weight gain. High fiber content is one way by which these diets can protect against metabolic syndrome, Type II-diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Conversely, data obtained from clinical studies are less conclusive; some studies show an improved weight loss with fiber intake while others do not. The likely reasons for

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