Press "Enter" to skip to content

Is the Fiber Theory Wrong?

The extraordinarily low rates of chronic disease among plant-based populations have been attributed to fiber, but reductionist thinking may lead us astray.

New subscribers to our e-newsletter always receive a free gift. Get yours here: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe/

My video Solving a Colon Cancer Mystery (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/solving-a-colon-cancer-mystery/) is a perfect example of the concept I presented above. If fiber was really the key, then sub-Saharan Africa would be rife with colorectal cancer these days.

For an extreme example, how about disease reversal with diet centered around white rice? See Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us Into Shape (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/Kempner-Rice-Diet-Whipping-Us-Into-Shape) and Drugs and the Demise of the Rice Diet (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/Drugs-and-the-Demise-of-the-Rice-Diet.

Wait a second, though, didn’t I just have a video saying you should specifically look for fiber? The Five to One Fiber Rule (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-five-to-one-fiber-rule) is just a way to identify less processed foods using fiber as a marker of whole foods.

For more intrigue in the world of fiber, check out Does Fiber Really Prevent Diverticulosis? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-fiber-really-prevent-diverticulosis/)

And if you’re thinking “Dr. Who?” then, for a historical perspective: Dr. Burkitt’s F-word Diet (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-burkitts-f-word-diet/)

Have a question for Dr. Greger about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-the-fiber-theory-wrong and he’ll try to answer it!

Image Credit: Eric Allix Rogers and rick via Flickr, and Elizabeth Magner.

https://NutritionFacts.org
• Subscribe: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe
• Donate: https://nutritionfacts.org/donate
• Podcast : https://nutritionfacts.org/audio
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/nutrition_facts
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/nutrition_facts_org
• Books: https://nutritionfacts.org/books
• Shop: https://drgreger.org