Effects of fiber on meal patterns and weight loss in the rat

Abstract

Satiety and weight loss enhancement due to added dietary fiber has received considerable attention recently. Most studies have examined the effects of fiber on a single test meal, however the temporal relationship of fiber and reduced hunger has not been well stated. For example, does fiber affect meal size or intermeal interval; does it last for several hours or acutely? Here we use a 24 hour food monitoring system to examine the discreet eating patterns of rats following a pre‐meal snack of low, medium or high dose of fiber in a sucrose solution. 24 male Sprague‐Dawley rats (age = 75 days) were maintained on standard chow and distilled water. Following 2 weeks of acclimation subjects received a .25M sucrose solution mixed with 1, 3 or 6 grams/liter of fiber (2 hour access). Water and food were removed during the fiber presentation and returned immediately after. Measures of daily food intake, weight gain, meal size, intermeal interval, etc. were analyzed to determine the discrete and chronic effects of fiber on meal patterns. Results indicate a significant acute satiety effect followed by normal eating patterns within 2 hours post‐fiber. There were no significant weight differences in control or experimental rats for any of the fiber concentrations. We conclude that fiber may be useful in caloric reduction for single meals, but provide minimal weight loss benefits.