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  • Review Article
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Effects of dietary fibre on metabolic health and obesity

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 21, pages 301–318 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Obesity and metabolic syndrome represent a growing epidemic worldwide. Body weight is regulated through complex interactions between hormonal, neural and metabolic pathways and is influenced by numerous environmental factors. Imbalances between energy intake and expenditure can occur due to several factors, including alterations in eating behaviours, abnormal satiation and satiety, and low energy expenditure. The gut microbiota profoundly affects all aspects of energy homeostasis through diverse mechanisms involving effects on mucosal and systemic immune, hormonal and neural systems. The benefits of dietary fibre on metabolism and obesity have been demonstrated through mechanistic studies and clinical trials, but many questions remain as to how different fibres are best utilized in managing obesity. In this Review, we discuss the physiochemical properties of different fibres, current findings on how fibre and the gut microbiota interact to regulate body weight homeostasis, and knowledge gaps related to using dietary fibres as a complementary strategy. Precision medicine approaches that utilize baseline microbiota and clinical characteristics to predict individual responses to fibre supplementation represent a new paradigm with great potential to enhance weight management efficacy, but many challenges remain before these approaches can be fully implemented.

Key points

  • Obesity is a complex chronic progressive disease characterized by excess body weight and dysregulation in enteroendocrine and neurohormonal signalling pathways favouring increased appetite and energy storage.

  • Therapeutics based on the manipulation of enteroendocrine pathways in the gastrointestinal tract are the most efficacious for weight loss and improving metabolic function.

  • Prospective and epidemiological studies have demonstrated associations between fibre consumption and metabolic health, highlighting the role of the gut microbiota in linking dietary intake of fibre with beneficial effects.

  • Microbiota-derived metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, indole derivatives and bile acids, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic dysregulation.

  • Heterogeneity exists between fibres in terms of their chemical and physical structures, which determines the effects of fibre on the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiota and energy homeostasis.

  • Increased consumption of dietary fibre has the potential to induce structural, physicochemical and gastrointestinal site-specific benefits that are relevant for the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

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Fig. 1: Mechanisms of action of short-chain fatty acids on energy homeostasis.
Fig. 2: Interactions between the microbiota and the gut in obesity.
Fig. 3: Physiological effects of dietary fibres along the gastrointestinal tract.

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  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Edward C. Deehan

  2. Nebraska Food for Health Center, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Edward C. Deehan

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Valentin Mocanu & Karen L. Madsen

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Deehan, E.C., Mocanu, V. & Madsen, K.L. Effects of dietary fibre on metabolic health and obesity. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 21, 301–318 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-023-00891-z

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