{"id":570370,"date":"2026-03-30T08:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/570370\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T08:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:36:08","slug":"is-it-true-that-you-can-never-eat-too-much-fibre-health-wellbeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/570370\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it true that \u2026 you can never eat too much fibre? | Health & wellbeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fibre has replaced protein as TikTok health influencers\u2019 macronutrient du jour, with \u201cfibremaxxers<\/a>\u201d urging followers to pack as much roughage into their diets as possible. But is the sky really the limit?<\/p>\n

\u201cIn theory,\u201d says Dr Emily Leeming, a dietitian at King\u2019s College London and the author of Fibre Power (out in May): our ancestors may have eaten up to 100g of fibre a day, but that\u2019s far beyond what most modern guts can tolerate.<\/p>\n

Fibre is found in nuts, seeds, leafy greens and beans, and can be taken as a supplement. The average Briton eats about 16g a day \u2013 little more than the recommended amount for two- to five-year-olds \u2013 and only 4% hit the 30g adult target. Leeming says reaching that level could have significant benefits: \u201cFibre supports digestion, lowers the risk of bowel cancer and heart disease, reduces low-density lipoprotein (or \u2018bad\u2019) cholesterol, helps control blood sugar, and promotes fullness.\u201d<\/p>\n

While 30g is the most studied intake, evidence suggests that benefits may continue beyond that. \u201cThere\u2019s a linear, estimated relationship<\/a> that continues to higher amounts,\u201d says Leeming.<\/p>\n

double quotation markFibre is powerful and your gut needs time to adapt. Increasing too quickly can cause bloating and discomfort<\/p>\n

Still, she wouldn\u2019t advise jumping from 16g to 50g. Fibre is powerful and your gut needs time to adapt. Increasing too quickly can cause bloating and discomfort. Regularly consuming more than 50g can also be difficult without becoming restrictive or obsessive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need to go above and beyond to see benefits,\u201d she says. An extra 7g a day<\/a> is linked to lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Just 5g more is linked with a 5% lower risk of depression<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you want to increase your intake, do it gradually and drink plenty of fluids. \u201cFibre acts like a sponge,\u201d she says. \u201cWithout enough liquid, it can make things dry and uncomfortable.\u201d Above all, listen to your body: \u201cHealthy eating has to be enjoyable, practical and make you feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fibre has replaced protein as TikTok health influencers\u2019 macronutrient du jour, with \u201cfibremaxxers\u201d urging followers to pack as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570371,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,84,395],"class_list":["post-570370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}