Get lean with this fiber type

[Biotest]

Fiber helps with fat loss, but not for the reasons you think. Here's why it works, and which fiber beats all the others.

Overweight people usually eat a high-calorie diet. No surprise. But they also eat a low-fiber diet. In fact, most people don't meet the recommended intake. When people increase their fiber, they typically lose fat.

Yes, fiber helps keep you full so you eat fewer calories, but the real fat-loss effect comes from fiber's influence on your gut microbiota. These microorganisms inhabiting your GI tract influence metabolism. And if they get imbalanced, you gain fat easily.

Okay, consume more fiber. Got it. But what kind? One study gives us the unequivocal answer: Beta-Glucan ➔ Buy at Biotest.

Yes, the bioactive fiber known mainly for boosting immunity and improving skin health is also the best fat-loss fiber.

Fiber study

It's ethically questionable to make people fat just to see how different fiber types affect them, so this was an animal study. That's fine, gut microbiota and metabolic dysfunction are effectively the same in both mice and men, and mice complain less.

The researchers took some mice and fattened them up with lard and sugar. Groups of mice were fed different types of fiber for 18 weeks and then analyzed for changes in body weight, insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, gut microbiota composition, and metabolite levels.

Some mice were fed beta glucan while others were fed pectin, wheat dextrin, resistant starch, or cellulose (as a control). They consumed the same number of calories.

What happened?

Keep in mind, the researchers weren't specifically studying beta glucan. They didn't know which fiber was best when they started. However, beta glucan was the winner by a mile. In a nutshell, the other fibers had little to no effect on most of the important markers. However, beta glucan...

• Caused the mice to stop getting fat or lose fat.
• Improved overall metabolic health.
• Improved insulin sensitivity and stabilized blood glucose levels (critical for getting lean and staying that way).
• Improved lipid profiles.
• Increased beneficial gut bacterial species and created a more diverse and balanced microbial community.
• Increased production of short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, known for their beneficial effects on gut health and metabolism.
• In total, the beta glucan supplemented mice were leaner and metabolically healthier, even though they consumed the same number of calories as the other mice.

The scientists concluded: "These findings demonstrate that beta glucan consumption is a promising dietary strategy for metabolic disease, possibly via increased energy expenditure through alterations in the gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites."

How to use this info

Beta glucan is a relative newcomer on the supplement scene. Most people take it to clear up their skin and slow skin aging, but this study show it's also an effective, stimulant-free fat-loss supplement.

The study above appeared to use beta glucan derived from oats or yeast. That's fine for rats, but those sources aren't very bioavailable (and yeast is a common allergen). Beta glucan derived from Euglena gracilis is the best source for humans.

Algal beta glucan's cell wall is much thinner than oat or yeast, making it easy to digest. Plus, the concentration of beta glucan in its cell walls is over 95%, much higher than other sources. Each serving of Biotest Beta-Glucan ➔ Buy at Biotest contains 600 mg of this form.

For more info, check out: Beta glucan: What to expect.

Reference

1. Howard et al. "Impact of Plant-Based Dietary Fibers on Metabolic Homeostasis in High-Fat Diet Mice via Alterations in the Gut Microbiota and Metabolites." The Journal of Nutrition. Volume 154, Issue 7, July 2024.

[zeptrey]

I recognize this study. Good write up.

[Bona]

When is best to take this? I assume early morning on an empty stomach.

[Chris_Shugart]

I don’t think it matters much, and it may depend on your goal with it. Some say to take it in the morning for immune support: “Taking beta glucan in the morning can be beneficial for providing immune support throughout the day. This timing aligns with the body’s natural circadian rhythms and can help prepare the immune system to handle daily stressors and potential pathogens.”

Others, when talking about it in the context of blood sugar control, say to take it before meals. Still others, when talking about its bad-cholesterol lowering benefits and heart health benefits, say to take it with meals.

I don’t think it matters much, but I’ll chat with Tim Patterson and pick his brain.

For the record, here’s the back of the Biotest Beta Glucan label. No specific recommendations.

[Bona]

Thanks for the update, Chris. I started taking it probably a week ago as I was curious about it but hadn’t seen a company I trust come out with a product until now.

[Chris_Shugart]

Okay, Tim basically said that it doesn’t really matter. But personally, he takes his beta glucan around noon with a meal.

[Viperdoc]

All three tabs at once or through the day?

[Chris_Shugart]

At once.

[SpearsHF]

Good breakdown. I might also add more practically: see if it affects when you have bowel movements. You may want to adjust the time of day you take it, for when you are able to have a bathroom break. It probably won’t have much of an affect on your normal daily patterns, but some people could be sensitive to it, especially when starting it.

[MartinL]

Shugs, it seems glucans have leapfrogged Psyllium as the new darling of fiber.

[Chris_Shugart]

Psyllium has its uses. I still have a small daily dose to increase satiety. Psyllium might have the edge in “mechanical” uses like constipation, but beta-glucan is far superior for immunity-boosting (activating macrophages and other immune cells), anti-inflammatory effects, and gut health from a prebiotic viewpoint. Both can lower “bad” cholesterol levels, but I haven’t seen a head-to-head study yet.

[MellowBob]

People over eat yet are malnourished. You often point that out when you’re selling supplements.

Your plan is to have is to have people consume a substance that blocks calorie absorption, but also blocks nutrient absorption as well.

Tony Stark.Not A Great Plan.GIF goes here.

Doctors will tell you to eat more fiber, to eat the rainbow… up to the day they remove your large intestine for ulcerative colitis. That’s what happed to a Youtuber, Kent Carnivore. He now poops in a bag and only after he wet carnivore did his health and gut get better. If he eats any plant, it just shows up in his bag. He cannot get any nutrients from plant matter.

For my diverticulitis, all the docs said just go to the ER for antibiotics, but when that stops working, we’ll remove that part of my intestine.

One of your writers sneered at either keto or carnivore, saying it’s only for sick old ladies. He has yet to make the next logical step that if changing what you eat heals you, then what you used to eat was damaging you.

Butyrate is a ketone. Why not have ketones for every cell in your body?

Check out the book by Dr. Shawn Baker or listen to some podcasts. He’s a 58 year old orthopedic surgeon that looks more Jack Reacher than the actor playing him now. He convinces his patients to try carnivore to lose weight pre-surgery. Often the come back to him and tell him they no longer need their knees replaced.