• It’s a Cookbook
    It’s a Philosophy
    It’s a Resource
logologologologo
  • FoodTrients 101 –
  • News –
      • Age Gracefully with Grace O
      • Ginger Hultin, Nutrition
      • Mark Rosenberg, MD
      • Robert Tostado, MD
      • Anti-Aging –
      • Beauty –
      • Food –
      • Health –
      • Exercise –
      • Celiac –
      • Life Extension
      • Books We Love –
      • FoodTrients Guides –
      • Newsletter –
      • capsule full of good foodAre Supplements Safe for You?
      • woman doing yogaSecrets of the Lymphatic System
      • woman fanning herselfWomen, Food, and Hormones: A Plan
      • "collagen" written on a chalkboardSave Your Eyes with Collagen
  • Recipes –
    • SEARCH BY:

      • Category:

      • Starters –
      • Soups –
      • Salads –
      • Main Dishes –
      • Sides –
      • Desserts –
      • Drinks –
      • Extras –
      • Spice Mixes –
      • All Recipes –
      • Or Search By:

      • Anti-inflammatory –
      • Antioxidant –
      • Beauty –
      • Detox –
      • Disease Prevention –
      • Gut Health –
      • Immunity Booster –
      • Mind –
      • Strength –
      • buffalo meat slidersBuffalo Sliders with Cranberries
      • exotic fruit and granolaExotic Fruit Salad with Granola
      • chocolate mousseDark Chocolate Mousse
      • Green Tea NoodlesGreen Tea Noodles with Edamame
  • Resources –
  • About –
  • Shop –
  • Media –
  • Home Page
  • News
    • Age Gracefully
    • Anti-Aging
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO
    • Health
    • Newsletter
  • Recipes
    • Starters
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Extras
    • Spice Mixes
  • Resources
    • Anti-Aging Resources
    • Health
    • Eating Well
    • Books We Love
  • About
    • About Grace O
    • Experts and Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest
  • Shop
  • Media
    • In the Media
    • Press Releases
    • Videos
            No results See all results
            ✕
                      No results See all results

                      Do You Know The Risks of Fiber Diet Supplements?

                      Published by Dr. Mark Rosenberg

                      It’s spring and, like many of my patients, you may be trying to get some extra weight off before summer and swimsuit season arrives.  I’ve recently been asked about those expanding fiber diet products many have seen advertised on television and the Internet.  The ads claim they cause you to effortlessly lose weight without changing your diet or exercise routine. I’d like to explain the pros and cons of using some of these products and let you be the judge of whether you want to use them or not.

                      Do Expanding Fiber Diet Products Really Work?

                      You may have seen a late night TV ad which shows several women and a man talking about their weight loss after using a particular diet product.  One woman claimed, “It’s a miracle.  .  .  The weight started falling off”; another said “it targeted just the fat”; the man said, “I didn’t have to go on any weird diet.”  While it may be true that these people lost weight while taking this expanding fiber diet supplement, these products are not able to target “just fat”. Rather there is generalized weight loss as they cause you to eat less.  The way they do that can have some pros and cons to it.  Here’s why.

                      There are several expanding fiber diet products on the market today under different brand names.  Many of them contain the natural fiber called glucomannan – also referred to as amorphophallus konjac, or konjac root fiber.  This fiber can expand up to 50 times its size when it comes in contact with fluid that is recommended to drink when you take the product.

                      Once in your stomach, glucomannan behaves like a sponge expanding in your stomach when it gets wet.  Its expanded size causes you to feel as if you’ve already eaten and greatly decreases hunger pangs and the desire to eat.  Doesn’t sound so bad, right?

                      The Pros of Expanding Konjac Fiber

                      In theory, the idea of adding more fiber to your diet is beneficial.  Eating a good level of fiber is always recommended for good health as it can help prevent several serious diseases.  It  can also be especially helpful while dieting.  It does help promote a feeling of fullness and also helps your body absorb less heavy fats by moving them out of your body quicker.  The extra fiber can also help cleanse toxins from your colon which is also a good thing. In fact, studies published as far back as 1984 have shown that konjac root fiber decreased “bad” LDL cholesterol and caused study participants to lose a significant amount of weight over the study period.

                      More recent studies cited in Minerva Medica, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center studies, also supported, basically, the same findings.   Other helpful “side effects” of konjac root fiber are relieving constipation and lowering blood sugar.

                      The Cons of Expanding Konjac Fiber

                      With all the beneficial “pros” to using expanding konjac fiber, what could be so bad about it? Well, the real concerning angle of using these expanding fiber products is precisely their ability to swell up.  If you don’t drink enough water with them, these products can get lodged somewhere along your digestive tract.  There are reports of pieces of them breaking off and expanding in the throat, or part of the esophagus.   In these areas, the broken pieces can cause blockage of the airway, choking, and decreased ability to breathe.  This can have serious consequences.

                      In other instances, expanded pieces of fiber products have become lodged in the stomach and further down in the intestinal tract, causing pain and dangerous obstructions.  There are several countries that have banned fiber products because of possible side effects.

                      Alternatives to Using Expanding Fiber Products

                      As I explained, the primary way that expanding konjac root fiber products work is by swelling up in your stomach and creating a sense of fullness.  You feel full and so you don’t eat as much.  Yet, did you know you can achieve that same fullness simply by drinking a large glass of water before each meal? It’s true.  Drinking a 16 ounce glass of water, or the same amount of caffeine-free tea, before sitting down to a meal can help you stick to good portion sizes and not overeat.  In addition the extra water will hydrate you and help prevent constipation.

                      Other things you can do include:

                      • Eat a small “pre-meal” of fibrous foods like a medium apple, or a few rice cakes, or ½ cup of brown rice, or even oatmeal, 20 minutes before your meal with your glass of water or tea.
                      • Increase fiber content at each meal – add more fibrous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower,  whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, even oatmeal;
                      • Decrease/omit bad fats like margarine and “salad” oils.  Use coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil/canola oil mix in their place.
                      • Take more steps in your day to increase activity.  You need more than fiber to burn extra calories to lose fat.  If you have a desk job, or are primarily sitting during your job, stop every 50 minutes and get up and move around for 10 minutes.  This will re-start your metabolism so you burn more calories.

                      Although some people may be able to safely take expanding konjac root fiber products if they drink enough water, I don’t recommend them to my patients.  There seems to be enough potential for dangerous consequences using these products.  As I’ve shown you above, there are other safer ways to increase your fiber intake and still reap weight loss results in time for those summer shorts and swimsuits.

                      Stay Well,
                      Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
                      Natural Health News

                      Share
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg received his doctorate from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1988 and has been involved with drug research since 1991. With numerous certifications in several different fields of medicine, psychology, healthy aging and fitness, Dr. Rosenberg has a wide breadth of experience in both the public and private sector with particular expertise in both the mechanism of cancer treatment failure and in treating obesity. He currently is researching new compounds to treat cancer and obesity, including receiving approval status for an investigational new drug that works with chemotherapy and a patent pending for an oral appetite suppressant. He is currently President of the Institute for Healthy Aging, Program Director of the Integrative Cancer Fellowship, and Chief Medical Officer of Rose Pharmaceuticals. His work has been published in various trade and academic journals. In addition to his many medical certifications, he also personally committed to physical fitness and is a certified physical fitness trainer.

                      Sign Up to get our
                      NEWSLETTER FREE

                      Select list(s) to subscribe to


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: FoodTrients, 14011 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423, http://www.foodtrients.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      Latest Articles

                      • 0
                        Shrimp and Grapefruit Salad
                        January 27, 2023
                      • 0
                        Feeling Down? It May Not Be Just The Winter Blues…
                        January 25, 2023
                      • 0
                        Centenarians Abound in Isolated Nicoya
                        January 19, 2023
                      • It’s Citrus Season and the Squeeze Is On!
                        January 18, 2023
                      • 0
                        Discover the Many-Splendored Foods of Malta
                        January 15, 2023

                      SEE MORE

                      ABOUT

                      • Grace O
                      • Our Experts
                      • FoodTrients
                      • Board of Advisors
                      • FAQs

                      EXPLORE

                      • Age Gracefully by Grace O
                      • News
                      • Recipes
                      • Our Guides
                      • Resources
                      • Shop
                      • Media

                      CONNECT

                      • Contact Us
                      • Subscribe
                      • Facebook
                      • Pinterest
                      • Instagram
                      • Twitter
                      • YouTube

                      SIGN UP for our NEWSLETTER

                      Nourish your week! Get the latest wellness news and delicious recipes to help you age better.

                      Select list(s) to subscribe to


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: FoodTrients, 14011 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423, http://www.foodtrients.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      FoodTrients Trademark™ and copyright © 2011-2022 Triple G Enterprises. I Terms and Conditions I Privacy

                      This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. FoodTrients – A Recipe for Aging Beautifully Grace O, author and creator of FoodTrients® -- a philosophy, a cookbook and a resource -- has a new cookbook dedicated to age-defying and delicious recipes, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, which provides one hundred-plus recipes that promote health and well-being. The recipes are built on foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from around the world. Since the publication of her first anti-aging book, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, Grace O has identified eight categories of FoodTrients benefits (Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Disease Prevention, Beauty, Strength, Mind, and Weight Loss) that are essential to fighting aging, which show how specific foods, herbs, and spices in the recipes help keep skin looking younger, prevent the diseases of aging, and increase energy and vitality. Grace O combines more exotic ingredients that add age-fighting benefits to familiar recipe favorites.

                                No results See all results