Want to Lose Weight? Eat More Fiber, Says Study

You've heard them all - the exercise to burn all those extra flab, the weight loss secret to top all other pound-shedding tips, and so on and so forth.

While these, and other science-backed tips, can be helpful in your efforts to lose weight, results of a recent study gives hope to those looking for an ultra-feasible, easy way of getting to a healthier weight.

A study featured in the "Annals of Internal Medicine" journal showed that just adding fiber to one's diet improves one's health and weight management efforts significantly.

"A group of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School zeroed in on fiber, since previous studies have shown it can help people feel more full, eat less and improve some metabolic markers like blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar," Time reported.

The researchers gathered 240 participants for the study, all of them having symptoms of prediabetes. They were then randomly assigned to two groups - one was given the American Heart Association (AHA) diet while the other group was asked to take in more fiber-rich food.

"The AHA group focused on decreasing their daily calorie intake in order to lose weight, and they were provided with goals to limit saturated fat," Time explained. "The fiber group was simply asked to eat more foods rich in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, to reach a quota of at least 30 grams of fiber per day."

"Neither group was told to change their exercise habits," the news source added.

According to Reuters, the participants in both groups "lost weight and improved their blood pressure, dietary quality, and insulin resistance" after a year.

"But the high-fiber group had lost an average of about four and a half pounds, compared to nearly six pounds in the AHA diet group. Also, seven people in the fiber group developed diabetes over the year-long study, compared to only one in the AHA group," the news outlet said.

The study's author, Dr. Yunsheng Ma, said that simply changing one thing in the diet triggered weight loss and improved "overall markers for metabolic syndrome" among those in the fiber group.

This finding is a godsend for those looking for easy-to-follow solutions, as a high fiber diet, despite not being a perfect option, still "showed positive results and was easy to follow," leading to "more successful diet compliance," as noted by Cleveland Clinic's Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian.

Fiber's main virtue as a health-boosting food is the fact that it creates a full feeling in the stomack because it "swells in your stomach when it absorbs liquid," Tanya Zuckerbot, RD said, as quoted by Fitness Magazine.

Dr. Ma said that adding fibre to one's diet can be a first and important step to eating healhier and following a good diet.

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