Research

Energy balance

Increasing dietary fiber intake by 14 g/day for more than 2 days under ad libitum conditions reduces energy intake by 10% and results in an average body weight loss of 1.9 kg over approximately 3.8 months.

To lose weight without strict calorie counting, simply add 14 grams of fiber to your daily diet for at least two days. This natural increase in fiber reduces your overall calorie intake by about 10% and leads to modest weight loss (approx. 2 kg) over a few months. You can achieve this by swapping refined grains for whole grains and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
consumption of an additional 14 g/day fiber for >2 days is associated with a 10% decrease in energy intake and body weight loss of 1.9 kg over 3.8 months.
Nancy C. Howarth et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2009

Why this rating

Based on a systematic review of multiple controlled studies with consistent findings.

Source

Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation

Nancy C. Howarth et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2009

DOI 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2001.tb07001.x

narrative_reviewCited 1,058×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →