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Does Eating Too Much Fiber Put On A Lot Of Flab?

Does Eating Too Much Fiber Put On A Lot Of Flab?

Darrell Miller

09/02/11

Date: September 02, 2011 11:33 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Does Eating Too Much Fiber Put On A Lot Of Flab?

Fiber and Flab Overview

Many of us today has looked into fiber and its role in health and weight regulation, many researches also has backed up the claims of many companies that manufactures fiber supplements that fiber has benefits in both those areas. So whether you are someone who is an avid user of fiber or just someone who uses it occasionally, the question "Does too much fiber help me put on more flab?" might have come to mind a couple of times. I know it did for me, my reason was because I just simply felt heavier, for some they feel like they have a bigger pant size and these are just a few of the examples. Whatever the reason may be, for us to be able to answer that question with more accuracy, we need to examine two things. One is how fiber works in our body and two is how we gain weight in the first place and find out what the correlation is between the two.

Fiber and how it works

Many people use fiber for digestive purposes, more commonly for cleansing purposes and rightfully so because one of the main functions of fiber is to help alleviate the digestive tract through helping stool move along as long as there is ample amounts of water together with it. That is the catch because fiber works in such a way that when ingested into the intestines it absorbs the substances around it and it can do so as much as five times of its original weight. So with this, it can work both ways, if there is no water around to absorb, it absorbs solids therefore causing hardening of stool and move toward constipation for more severe instances. However with water around, it will absorb the liquid and create a flushing effect in our digestive tract aiding in the cleansing of toxins and other bacteria which could lead to more beneficial effects.

Weight Gain or Flab Gain

The formula for gaining weight is pretty simple. If you have worked out for any reason you might have come across the idea, calories equal energy and unused energy equals calories stored and calories stored equals weight gain. So when you gain weight it simply means you are taking in more calories that you can burn. That it is the only way you will gain weight and how does this relate to fiber intake?

Fiber and weight gain

According to researches too much fiber can cause weight gain and it does so because of its sponge like properties. Going back to what we talked about above, it can cause stool hardening and constipation and that can cause some temporary weight gain and bloating making you feel like you have gained weight and your stomach bigger. That is one way. The other is when trying to increase fiber intake through fruits and vegetables or by other means, the additional calories that come along with it may cause the actual weight gain and the additional flab so fiber may be part of it but is not the direct culprit of the flab gain.