"Daily Intake Reduces Mortality Risk" Revisited After 50 Years... Will Dietary Fiber Be Added as an Essential Nutrient?

Calls to Classify Dietary Fiber as an Essential Nutrient
Recommended Daily Intake for Adults: 20?25g

For the first time in about 50 years, there is a call to classify "dietary fiber" as an essential nutrient on an international level.

Recently, a nutrition research team at the University of Otago in New Zealand published a paper in the international journal "Nature Food," arguing for the essential nutrient status of dietary fiber. The researchers stated, "Dietary fiber provides clear health benefits, is not synthesized in the human body, and its deficiency leads to a functional deficit," adding, "It meets the criteria for an essential nutrient." This conclusion was drawn by synthesizing clinical trials and meta-analyses on the chemical and physical properties, physiology, and metabolic effects of dietary fiber.

Essential nutrients are those necessary to sustain life. The three main essential nutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The criteria for recognizing a nutrient as essential are: it must benefit the human body, it must not be synthesized within the body, and its deficiency must result in a measurable abnormal state. Until now, dietary fiber met the first two conditions but was excluded from the list of essential nutrients because its deficiency was not clearly defined.

The researchers found an answer to this issue through studies on gut microbiota. Co-author Professor Jim Mann explained, "Gut microbiota rely almost entirely on dietary fiber as an energy source. When intake is low, the function of gut microbiota declines, and when intake increases, their function recovers." In other words, reduced gut microbiota function serves as a measurable indicator of dietary fiber deficiency.

The researchers argued that increasing dietary fiber intake provides greater health benefits than increasing other essential nutrients. Their analysis confirmed that higher dietary fiber intake leads to improvements in body weight, blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Over the long term, it also reduces the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, and premature death.

The research team predicted that if dietary fiber is recognized as an essential nutrient, it will strengthen dietary guidelines, nutrition education, and recommendations in medical settings. It would also prompt food manufacturers to develop and label high-fiber products, thereby reducing the burden of chronic diseases. Associate Professor Andrew Reynolds advised, "You can significantly increase your intake by partially replacing meat with beans or focusing on whole grains." This includes eating mixed grains such as quinoa or barley instead of white rice, and adding beans or vegetables to your meals.

The recommended daily intake of dietary fiber is 20 to 25 grams for men and 20 grams for women. To check whether your diet contains an adequate amount of dietary fiber, you can self-monitor your physical condition after meals. It is helpful to assess whether digestion is smooth and whether your stool is neither too loose nor too hard. However, for those who usually consume little dietary fiber, suddenly increasing intake may cause bloating or indigestion, so caution is needed.