Most of us probably know fiber best for its ability to help 'keep us regular'.
But did you know that fiber plays a pivotal role in everything from cardiovascular health and glycemic control, to weight loss and gut health.
It's a seriously good all-rounder.
But while most people are aware of fiber's essential role in our overall health, surprisingly few of us are getting enough.
The recommended dietary amount for women is between 25-30g per day. For men it's 38g+.
Yet sources suggest that on average, most of us are getting between 15-20g per day. Almost half the recommended amount.
So what is the issue here?
For those who follow a gluten free diet, or those dealing with celiac disease, getting enough fiber in your diet can be a little challenging. The flours that are used in gluten free breads, pasta and pastries, can be highly refined and lacking in fiber.
For those without any gluten sensitivity, it may simply be that convenience comes first. We're all busy people. But convenience foods are more processed, and will therefore have less fibre in them.
If only there was a gluten free fiber supplement that could help top us up...
Well, there is. But before we get to that, here's what fiber supplements are, what they do, and why we might need one.
Key Takeaways
Pushed for time? Here's everything you need to know:
- Most people aren’t getting enough fiber – The daily recommendation is 25-30g for women and 38g+ for men, but the average intake is almost half that.
- A gluten-free diet can make fiber intake more challenging – Many gluten-free products use refined flours that lack fiber, making it harder to meet daily needs.
- Fiber supports digestion, weight management, and heart health – It helps regulate blood sugar, promotes satiety, and contributes to a balanced gut microbiome.
- Not all fiber supplements are equal – Different types of fiber offer different benefits, from prebiotic effects (Inulin, Acacia) to digestive regularity (Psyllium, Glucomannan).
- Performance Lab® Prebiotic is a top gluten-free choice – It nourishes your gut microbiome naturally with Orafti® Synergy1 (Inulin-FOS) from chicory root, supporting digestion, immunity, and feeds your beneficial bacteria.
What Is A Fiber Supplement?
Whether you're eating a whole-food diet or not, adding in a fiber supplement can be immensely beneficial for your health.
Fiber supplements are typically a mix of insoluble and soluble dietary fiber. Some common types of fiber supplements are:
- Psyllium Husk – Soluble & insoluble; supports digestion & heart health.
- Methylcellulose – Soluble; non-fermentable, gentle on the gut.
- Inulin – Soluble; prebiotic, feeds gut bacteria.
- Wheat Dextrin – Soluble; dissolves easily, mild effect.
- Acacia Fiber – Soluble; prebiotic, well-tolerated.
- Glucomannan – Soluble; highly absorbent, aids satiety.
Who Should Take a Fiber Supplement?
For anyone looking to reap the cardio-protective properties of fiber, getting enough fiber through diet is the better option—because you're also getting other beneficial nutrients.
However, for anyone that doesn't have access to certain foods or wants to boost their fiber intake, a fiber supplement can be a great addition to your supplement stack.
People with low fiber intake
If your diet lacks fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or legumes, a fiber supplement can help bridge any gaps and support normal digestive health.
Those with constipation or digestive issues (IBS, bloating, diarrhea)
Fiber adds bulk to stools and promotes regular bowel movements, making it a go-to solution for occasional or chronic constipation. Some fiber types (like soluble prebiotic fiber) can help regulate digestion, while others (like psyllium) may ease both constipation and diarrhea.
People managing blood sugar levels
Soluble fiber slows glucose absorption, helping to stabilize blood sugar spikes, which is particularly useful for those with insulin resistance or diabetes.
People looking for weight management support
Fiber increases satiety and slows digestion, helping to control appetite. It can give you that 'fuller for longer' feeling, which helps reduce cravings.
Celiacs and gluten-free individuals
Many gluten-free diets lack fiber-rich whole grains, leading to lower fiber intake. A fiber supplement can help maintain digestive health, prevent constipation, and support a balanced gut microbiome. Look for gluten-free options like psyllium husk, acacia fiber, inulin, or glucomannan to avoid cross-contamination.
How Much Fiber Do We Need?
The Institute of Medicine recommends consuming 14g of fiber per 1000 calories. So the amount you need is directly linked to the amount of calories you consume. As mentioned this roughy equates to 25g/day for women and 38g/day for men.
These guidelines for fiber intake are based on the link between a high‐fiber diet and a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
Remember we mentioned most of us are only getting half of that recommended amount? Well, people following a low-carb diet consume less than 10g.
While you may know it's important to consume fiber, why do we actually need to?
5 Benefits Of Fiber Supplements
1. Glycemic Control
Dysfunctional glucose regulation is one of the biggest contributors to diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. And can cause major long-term health consequences if not controlled. While genetics can be to blame for glucose dysfunction, the majority of it stems from a diet high in refined foods and low in fiber.
That's because fiber has a profound effect on how fast glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream. Under normal circumstances, nutrients from digested food are delivered to the small intestine immersed in a low‐viscosity (thin) liquid called chyme; this liquid is mixed with digestive enzymes required for nutrient degradation(1).
Once broken down, the nutrients are readily absorbed in the small intestine. However, when you throw a gel‐forming fiber like psyllium or β‐glucan into the mix, it significantly increases the viscosity of chyme (dose-dependent), making it thicker.
The increase in thickness slows down the interaction between enzymes and nutrients, and ultimately slows down the absorption of these nutrients—including glucose—into the bloodstream(2). As a result, your blood sugar isn't peaking nearly as fast as it would without fiber.
However, it's important to remember that non-viscous fibers don't elicit the same effects on glycemic control.
2. Weight Loss
On top of improving glycemic control, adding more fiber to your diet can also be good for your waistline. Because high-fiber foods tend to leave the stomach slower, not only do they prevent glycemic dysfunction that can lead to weight gain, but they also reduce appetite by increasing satiation.
A 2010 study looked at the effects of gel-forming fibers on 141 patients with metabolic syndrome(3). Patients were given 3.5g fiber twice a day before breakfast and dinner or a placebo.
The group consuming the non-fermented fiber (psyllium) showed sustained weight loss over the entire six‐month test period with an average of 3.3kg lost. On top of that, they also showed significant improvements in fasting blood glucose, insulin, and LDL cholesterol.
3. Supports Gut Health
There are over a trillion microorganisms that inhabit the gut. This mix is composed of both beneficial and harmful bacteria that usually stay in balance to support health.
Diet and lifestyle factors can be a major help or a major hindrance to this balance.
We need to help the beneficial bacteria to thrive.
With gut health, we talk about two types of bacteria: probiotics and prebiotics.
Probiotics are the organisms themselves that live in the gut. Whereas prebiotics are the food these bacteria use for fuel. Without sufficient prebiotic fiber intake, the beneficial bacteria cannot thrive, creating an imbalance and favoring an environment for disease.
Prebiotic fiber is important to keep the beneficial bacteria flourishing and promote a healthy, balanced microbiome. On top of that, the good bacteria metabolize the fiber to produce short-chain fatty acids, (SCFAs) and they confer their own health benefits(5, 6).
4. Bowel Regularity
Both soluble and insoluble fiber are essential for supporting bowel movements. Soluble fiber absorbs water to form a gelatinous, viscous substance fermented by bacteria in the digestive tract.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, functions to bulk up the stool and support proper excretion(7). If you're dealing with loose, watery stools, adding more fiber into your diet can help to firm it up and make it easier to pass.
While fiber isn't completely essential for promoting bowel movements, it is important for supporting the health of colonocytes (colon cells) that maintain a healthy and efficient colon.
5. Cardiovascular Health
Fiber is perhaps one of the best supplements for lowering cholesterol and supporting cardiovascular health. There are several observational findings that show a lower incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in people consuming a diet high in fiber. Why?
Fiber is thought to decrease serum total, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, as well as improve insulin resistance. All of which have a positive effect on cardiovascular health(8).
Other studies show that dietary fiber can exert protective effects on the risk of CVD and CHD, as viscous fibers can attenuate postprandial blood glucose and lipid rises, which protects against endothelial damage.
The formation of the gel also slows gastric emptying to increase satiety and reduce the potential for weight gain. On top of that, soluble fiber and resistant starch molecules are fermented by bacteria in the colon to produce SCFAs that can help to reduce cholesterol levels(9).
If that wasn't enough, many of these high-fiber foods contain other beneficial compounds that exert protective effects on the cardiovascular system.
For example, grains contain antioxidants, hormonally active lignans, phytosterols, amylase inhibitors, and saponins that have all been shown to influence risk factors associated with CHD(10).
Best Gluten-Free Fiber Supplement: Performance Lab® Prebiotic
If you're looking for a gluten free fiber supplement to feed that good bacteria, Performance Lab® Prebiotic is designed to support healthy metabolic and microbiome performance.
Prebiotic nourishes your existing probiotic colony with Orafti® Synergy1 (Inulin-FOS from chicory root) for robust growth and health. As a result, Prebiotic delivers more reliable, natural, and comfortable microbiome support.
Key Features:
- Orafti® Synergy1: Oligofructose-enriched inulin (Inulin-FOS) from chicory root
- 100% natural, prebiotic-infused NutriCaps® from pullulan (fermented tapioca)
Key Benefits:
- Supports digestive regularity, gut comfort, and efficient nutrient absorption
- Promotes healthy immune system performance in the GI tract
- Nourishes existing gut microbiome rather than introducing new probiotic strains
- May help with weight loss by controlling appetite and reducing cravings
- Supports bone health by enhancing calcium absorption
- Supports heart health by regulating bad cholesterol absorption
Shop Performance Lab® Prebiotic
Final Thoughts
Eating a fiber-rich diet is important to maintain health and well-being.But for many—especially those following a gluten-free diet—getting enough can be a challenge.
Adding a high-quality fiber supplement can help bridge the gap, ensuring you're not only meeting your daily fiber needs but also nourishing the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
If you're celiac or gluten intolerant, you likely already know which whole grains work for you. But a gluten-free fiber supplement can be an easy, effective way to support digestive health and keep your microbiome balanced.
- KV Lambeau, JW McRorie Jr. Fiber supplements and clinically proven health benefits: How to recognize and recommend an effective fiber therapy.J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2017;29(4):216-223.
- JW McRorie Evidence-Based Approach to Fiber Supplements and Clinically Meaningful Health Benefits, Part 2: What to Look for and How to Recommend an Effective Fiber Therapy. Nutr Today. 2015;50(2):90-97.
- A G Derosa, M Bove, F Imola, C Borghi, A Gaddi. Psyllium improves dyslipidemaemia, hyperglycaemia and hypertension, while guar gum reduces body weight more rapidly in patients affected by metabolic syndrome following an AHA Step 2 diet.Mediterranean Journal of Nutrition and Metababolism. 2010;3:47–54.
- AK DeGruttola, D Low, A Mizoguchi, E Current Understanding of Dysbiosis in Disease in Human and Animal Models.Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2016;22(5):1137-1150.
- HD Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota.Gut Microbes. 2017;8(2):172-184.
- A Aoun, F Darwish, N Hamod. The Influence of the Gut Microbiome on Obesity in Adults and the Role of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics for Weight Loss. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2020;25(2):113-123.
- J Yang, HP Wang, L Zhou, CF Xu. Effect of dietary fiber on constipation: a meta analysis.World J Gastroenterol. 2012;18(48):7378-7383.
- AT Erkkilä, AH Fiber and cardiovascular disease risk: how strong is the evidence?.J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2006;21(1):3-8.
- DE Threapleton, DC Greenwood, CE Evans, et al. Dietary fibre intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis. 2013;347:f6879.
- J Slavin. Whole grains and human health.Nutr Res Rev. 2004;17(1):99-110.