For most of human history, fibre was not something we had to consciously add to our diets.
It was simply part of eating. Plants, seeds, grains, roots, nuts, fruits and vegetables formed part of diets long before fibre powders, supplements and products promising better gut health existed. Yet, as our food culture has evolved, so too has the way we eat.
Food has become softer, more refined and more processed. Many of the fibrous parts of plants that would once have naturally made their way onto our plates can now be removed during processing.
At the same time, our understanding of fibre has become increasingly interesting.
Fibre does not simply pass through us. Certain types can interact with the trillions of microorganisms living inside our gut, and researchers are increasingly interested in what this relationship could mean for processes elsewhere in the body, including inflammation.
What actually is inflammation?
Inflammation is a natural part of the body’s immune response, helping us respond to things like injury and infection. Researchers are particularly interested in what happens when inflammation persists over time, and the role our diet, including fibre, may play.
Fibre is not just one thing.
We often talk about ‘fibre’ as though it were a single nutrient. In reality, there are many different types: some dissolve in water, others can be fermented by our gut bacteria, while others move through the digestive system relatively intact. These differences appear to matter. A recent scientific review examining fibre and inflammation found that fibre-rich diets sometimes are associated with favourable inflammatory outcomes. However, the researchers also stressed that different fibres may behave differently and that it is not yet possible to say exactly which type of fibre should be recommended to every person.
That nuance is important. Rather than thinking about fibre as one ingredient with one job, it may be more useful to think about it as a diverse family of plant components interacting with an equally diverse ecosystem inside us.
The conversation between fibre and our gut.
Our digestive system is home to a community of microorganisms, collectively known as the gut microbiome. And, like us, these microbes need to eat.
Certain fibres can be fermented by bacteria in the colon. During this process, gut bacteria may produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids. Researchers believe these compounds are one way fibre may interact with our immune and metabolic systems. And what those microorganisms produce may communicate with the rest of the body.
So, can fibre reduce inflammation? This is where we need to be careful.
A recent review found beneficial effects associated with high-fibre diets, but results differed considerably by fibre type, study population, and amount consumed. Other research demonstrates the same complexity.
A meta-analysis of 14 randomised controlled trials in adults who were living with obesity found that fibre interventions were potentially associated with a small reduction in CRP (a commonly measured marker of inflammation).
Although nothing is concrete, these findings remind us that nutrition research involves different people, foods, fibres, doses, and dietary patterns. Fibre may help support a healthy inflammatory response, but it is not an anti-inflammatory medicine, and it does not work in isolation.
Perhaps our ancestors knew fibre differently.
Our relationship with fibre has changed considerably. For our ancestors, fibre was not marketed as a functional ingredient. It came naturally packaged inside the plants they ate. Today, we can isolate fibre, turn it into powders, add it to foods and advertise the number of grams on the front of a packet.
But focusing exclusively on a number may miss something important. A varied, fibre-rich diet does not provide just one kind of fibre. Different plant foods bring different fibres, along with vitamins, minerals, and thousands of naturally occurring plant compounds.
Diversity over perfection.
At Kurami, this is why we return so often to diversity. Rather than searching for one ‘superfood’ or one perfect type of fibre, we believe there is something much more interesting in building meals around a broad range of plants.
Beans and lentils. Whole grains. Nuts and seeds. Vegetables and fruits. Herbs and spices. Each brings something slightly different to the table, and to the microbial community that encounters it afterwards.
The science surrounding fibre, the microbiome and inflammation is still developing. We do not yet know enough to prescribe a particular fibre as a universal answer to inflammation, and current research does not support doing so.
What it does give us is another reason to appreciate something humans have been eating for thousands of years.
We are reminded that fibre is not simply something to count. It is part of an ongoing conversation between our food, our gut microbes and our bodies, one that science is only beginning to fully understand.
What Kurami takes from this.
For us, this reinforces the importance of plant diversity, which is at the core of everything we do here at Kurami. Rather than relying on one source of fibre, we build meals around a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, herbs and spices, each bringing something different to the plate. This emphasis on variety is also central to Mediterranean-style eating and is reflected in the traditional dietary patterns of many Blue Zone communities.
The relationship between fibre, the microbiome and inflammation is still being understood, so we are cautious about reducing it to a single health claim. What we can take from the research is something much more practical: fibre is best considered as part of a varied, plant-rich way of eating, rather than an isolated ingredient or another number to optimise.
Sources & further reading.
Impact of Dietary Fibre on Inflammation in Humans: Read the full paper via PubMed Central.
Effect of dietary fibre on circulating C-reactive protein in overweight and obese adults: Read on PubMed.
Associations between dietary fibre intake and cardiovascular risk factors: Read the full paper via PubMed Central.
The Effect of Dietary Interventions on Chronic Inflammatory Diseases in Relation to the Microbiome: Read the full paper via PubMed Central.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or nutritional advice.
FAQs.
What is dietary fibre?
Dietary fibre is a broad term for parts of plant foods that are not fully digested in the small intestine. Different fibres behave differently within the body: some dissolve in water, some are fermented by our gut bacteria, and others move through the digestive system relatively intact. This is why variety can be just as important as simply focusing on a number.
How does fibre support the gut microbiome?
Certain types of fibre provide a food source for microorganisms living within the gut. When gut bacteria ferment these fibres, they can produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids, which researchers are studying for their potential roles in gut, immune and metabolic health.
Which foods are naturally high in fibre?
Fibre is naturally found across the plant kingdom, including vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Different plants contain different types and combinations of fibre, which is one reason Kurami champions diversity rather than relying on one particular ingredient.
Is a fibre supplement the same as eating fibre-rich foods?
Not necessarily. Supplements can provide specific isolated fibres, while whole plant foods naturally contain different fibres alongside vitamins, minerals and other plant compounds. Rather than viewing the two as interchangeable, it can be helpful to consider the wider nutritional context of what we eat.
Why does Kurami focus on fibre diversity?
Because fibre is not one single nutrient performing one single function. By incorporating a wide variety of plant foods into our diets, we encounter different fibres and plant compounds while providing a more varied food source for the microbial ecosystem within our gut. For Kurami, it is less about achieving dietary perfection and more about creating diversity over time.
