How much fibre should you get?

Authors: Vanessa Mok , Dominik Zbogar | Reviewers: Janet Parker , Gita Joshi | Published: 23 December 2019 | Updated: ~

It is important to recognize that after a spinal cord injury, fibre can affect people differently and there is no agreed upon ideal amount of fibre for individuals with SCI. However, based on

expert opinion

, an initial diet containing no less than 15 g/day of fiber is recommended. One study (

weak evidence

) found that increasing dietary fibre from 25 g/day to 31 g/day with the addition of 40 g of “Kellogg’s All Bran” cereal a day to the diet worsened bowel function in 11 individuals with SCI. In fact, the higher fibre intake increased the time needed for food to move through the colon from 28 hours to 42 hours! While the Canadian recommendation for the general population is 25-38 grams per day, this study shows that individuals with SCI may respond differently to fibre. Further research is required on the effects of different types of fibre, as well as fluid intake on bowel function after an SCI.

Drinking enough water during the day is important for your health and may help prevent complications such as

urinary tract infections

. There is a temptation to keep water intake low to reduce catheterization frequency or other disruptions to your bladder/bowel routine. But, when you increase fibre intake it is important to also increase fluid intake to compensate. Fibre sources such as fruits and vegetables naturally contain lots

of water with all the fibre they provide. However, fibre supplements, cereals, or dried fruit, nuts, ground flax seed, and the like should be accompanied by increased water consumption. It is important to strike a balance between increased fluid

intake, increased fibre, and the potential impacts on your bowel and bladder routin

e.

Interestingly, little to no attention is given in guidelines to how the source of fibre may affect the bowel. In one study in the general population, it was shown that doubling stool output could be accomplished with 10 g of grain or vegetable fibre while such a doubling required 25 g of fruit fibre. The interaction of different types of dietary fibre in SCI requires investigation.

The effect of increased fibre in individuals with SCI may differ depending on whether one has spastic or flaccid bowel. One study (weak evidence) interviewing individuals about their bowel routines noted that more individuals with flaccid bowel reported benefits by modifying their diet with high fibre foods than those with spastic bowel.

Given the benefits of dietary fibre in reducing a number of diseases, it makes sense to want to increase how much you get in your diet. Individuals with SCI should increase fibre in their diet slowly to avoid side effects. In addition, for some people, high amounts of fibre may not be tolerated and fibre should be reduced if it worsens their bowel function.