Prevention is Cure

#38 Why You Should Give A Sh*t About Fibre

2026-03-29

Is fibre actually the health hero we've been told it is? Prof. Grant Schofield and Kayla dive deep into the science behind fibre recommendations and expose how food companies game the system. From the surprising truth about constipation to why cows eating grass end up on a high-fat diet, this episode challenges everything you thought you knew about fibre.Key Takeaways:• Why dietary fibre guidelines might be doing more harm than good• How food manufacturers add fibre to junk food to make it seem healthy• The real reason people in East Africa had fewer chronic diseases (spoiler: it wasn't just fibre)• What happened when researchers put people on a ZERO fibre diet for constipation• Why focusing on "eat real food" beats obsessing over fibre gramsTimestamps0:05 - Introduction: The least sexy topic in nutrition science1:09 - Why dietary guidelines actually matter (hospitals, schools, prisons)2:19 - The three big nutrition mistakes: saturated fat, red meat, and salt6:19 - The "giant scrubbing brush" theory and where the fiber hypothesis came from7:37 - The Inuit counter-argument: No fibere, no disease8:44 - Leaded petrol: The confounding variable everyone forgot12:06 - The donut fibre scam: How food companies game health ratings15:33 - Understanding relative vs absolute risk (the 1% reality check)17:29 - Two plausible mechanisms: The viscous gel pathway18:55 - Short chain fatty acids and gut bacteria19:54 - Cows and gorillas: The high-fat diet from grass23:30 - The constipation paradox: Does fiber actually help?24:51 - The zero fibre diet study that shocked everyone26:08 - Mendelian randomization: The "genetically predicted fiber intake" problem31:30 - Vision of the anointed: When interventions fail, do more of the same33:03 - The Women's Health Initiative: The biggest fiber trial that did nothing36:30 - What to do instead: Focus on ultra-processed food41:08 - Three take-home messages about fiber42:00 - Grant's simple dietary guidelines43:04 - The farting observation: What your body tells you about fiber43:59 - Post-episode: What should you actually change?

No. of episodes

47

Latest episode

2026-04-12

Where can you listen?

How do we live a life worth living? Prof Grant Schofield dives deep into the lessons, science, and habits that define human flourishing. From reversing chronic disease to the psychology of behaviour change, he interviews the leading experts to help you navigate the complexities of the modern world. It’s time to stop managing sickness and start building a better version of yourself. Powered by prekure.com