4 reasons why eating fiber can help you lose the belly fat

It is practically our everyday fight to manage a bulging belly! Not only is belly handle unhealthy, but it also is very unpleasant to look at and in some situation may lead to a low self-esteem. Here are a few ways in which eating a fibrous meal helps to lose belly fat.

Belly fat has been associated with type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and other health complications. Good news is, you can just tweak your eating habits a bit to get rid of the belly fat. According to a recent research, a diet high in fiber, particularly the soluble fiber, is associated with a low belly fat.

Here are 4 ways in which soluble fiber helps to lose belly fat.

By delaying nutrient absorption. There are two types of fibers and both of them interact differently with water in our body. Insoluble fiber does not mix with water and is most beneficial to add bulk to the stool for it to pass easily from the gut. On the other hand, soluble fiber like glucomannan and beta-glucan mixes well with water to form a gel like substance and slows down the release of nutrients from the digested food in to the gut. This means insoluble fiber is beneficial in constipation and soluble fiber to help lose belly fat and prevents the gain of the belly fat.

Improves diversity of the gut bacteria. It is important to have a healthy count of gut flora, which is harmless bacteria and shares a symbiotic relationship with our system. According to a study, having a greater variety of gut bacteria is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and insulin resistance. Many other studies have also reported that consuming a higher quantity of soluble fiber results in presence of a greater variety of bacteria and better health. And a few other studies have linked a greater diversity of gut bacteria to reduced belly fat.

By releasing short chain fatty acids. The enzymes present in gut bacteria are beneficial to digest the soluble fiber and this then acts as a prebiotic by providing gut bacteria with nutrients. During this fermentation process, short chain fatty acids form that help to reduce belly fat by increasing fat burning and decreasing fat storage.

By reducing appetite. Soluble fiber is an appetite suppressant and more likely to reduce the food intake, which will assist in weight loss. Some studies have found soluble fiber to reduce production of hunger hormone (ghrelin) in the body, increase production of hormones that provides satiety (cholecystokinin, GLP-1, and peptide YY), and slow down the release of glucose in the gut because of which less insulin is released and reduced sense of hunger is experienced.