Dietary Fiber and Appetite Regulation
Summary
Dietary fibre comprises a heterogeneous group of plant‐derived carbohydrates resistant to digestion in the small intestine. Through physical properties such as water binding, bulking and viscosity, fibre slows gastric emptying and nutrient absorption. In the colon, selective microbial fermentation of fermentable fibres yields short‐chain fatty acids that engage enteroendocrine cells to secrete satiety peptides including peptide YY and glucagon‐like peptide-1. These signals interact with central nervous pathways to curb hunger and help regulate energy intake. The balance of soluble versus insoluble, viscous versus non-viscous and fermentable versus non-fermentable fibres determines the magnitude of these effects. Translation of these mechanisms into functional foods, preloads and meal designs offers safe, accessible strategies to counter overeating, support weight management and address the global rise in obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Dietary Fiber and Appetite Regulation publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in dietary fiber and appetite regulation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Dietary fibre: indigestible plant carbohydrates that influence gut motility, microbial fermentation and energy intake.
Viscosity: the thickness of a fibre solution that slows gastric emptying and nutrient absorption.
Fermentability: the capacity of fibres to be metabolised by colonic microbiota, yielding short-chain fatty acids.
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA): metabolites (e.g., acetate, propionate, butyrate) produced by microbial fermentation with signalling roles in satiety regulation.
Enteroendocrine hormones: gastrointestinal peptides such as peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1 that modulate appetite and food intake.
References
- Effects of Two Dietary Fibers as Part of Ready-to-Eat Cereal (RTEC) Breakfasts on Perceived Appetite and Gut Hormones in Overweight Women. Nutrients (2015).
- Effect of a High-Protein, High-Fiber Beverage Preload on Subjective Appetite Ratings and Subsequent Ad Libitum Energy Intake in Overweight Men and Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study. Current Developments in Nutrition (2018).
- Consuming a Protein and Fiber-Based Supplement Preload Promotes Weight Loss and Alters Metabolic Markers in Overweight Adults in a 12-Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of Nutrition (2022).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.