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Comment by mfer | Hacker News Reader

Many (most?) meat eaters are deficient in nutrients their body needs. The USDA found that only about 3% of people get their daily recommended amount of fiber. Eating meat doesn’t mean you get what your body needs

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Fiber is a funny choice because it's good for digestive health, but by definition, is food content you body has no interest in.

Yeah, it's for the gut biome. Eating many different kinds of fiber is great for biodiversity in the gut. Dr. Rhonda Patrick has some great videos about this, as well as the effect of sugar on gut bacteria.

Even if indirectly, your body absolutely needs it.

what diseases are linked to lack of fiber? you have a generous definition of "need".

edit: I'm not disputing the benefits of fiber for the average person, but the implied necessity of fiber is just false. Fact: A zero fiber diet is not guaranteed cause disease, whereas essential nutrient deficiencies will cause disease.

effects are listed among others here: https://selfhacked.com/blog/carnivore-diet/

spare me the blogs please. Its not even relevant: don't compare a meat-only diet to a low-fiber diet. All A are B but not all B are A.

I find your tone rude, dismissive, and unacceptable. Also, the page listed includes over 100 references and is reviewed by two doctors.

Sorry to see you acting out when science doesn't support your personal opinions.

bowel cancer, IBS, diverticulitis, heart disease

Yet many claim keto diets have cured their digestive issues.

Like a lot of diets that benefit people, the big thing is probably just making more food at home, and eating less processed shit.

Keto doesn't mean "no vegetables".

Keto is generally emphasizes high fiber vegetables and flour substitutes that also generally have higher fiber.

Eating less sugar and replacing it with nuts and seeds, and not eating starchy vegetables and replacing them with leafy greens will increase your fiber consumption like 4x or 5x. I seriously doubt someone doing like bacon butter and steak keto will claim improvements in their digestive issues unless they were like very sensitive to an allergen or something and didn't know it.

But low fiber doesnt _cause_ those diseases in the same sense as low vitamin D causes rickets. Most fiber-related studies I've seen were small and published in obscure journals. I'd agree the average person (with an average diet and lifestyle) probably benefits from getting enough fibre. But that's in conjunction with other factors. I just disagree with the statement humans "need" fiber.

Your gut cannot be healthy without fiber. It's important for the digestive process. There's a reason dietary guidelines include fiber, and I'm not sure where you're reading these journals but your agreement/disagreement is irrelevant to the point. A lack of fiber does _cause_ blood sugar fluctuations, cholesterol increases, constipation, etc.

Just because it's not as severe as rickets or scurvy doesn't mean people should ignore the needs of their gut microflora, especially given that the majority of cells in our bodies are (mostly beneficial) bacteria.

A bottle of Metamucil, a psyllium husk fiber supplement, indicates on it that helps with "heart health by lowering cholesterol" and "healthy blood sugar levels". I'm sure you can find studies that both support and deny these claims, but I understand the general consensus to be that these claims are supported by science.

Heart disease is #1 killer of Americans, diabetes is #7 according to CDC [1].

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

food supplements are not medicines. If you claim there is science behind the claims show it. But as you already admitted, it's probably weak evidence.

Search PubMed. I will throw a couple links at you but cannot establish consensus for you.

American Heart Association says "Dietary fiber can help you improve blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and even type 2 diabetes" [1]

American Diabetes Association says "eating foods higher in fiber can also improve your digestion, help you manage your blood sugar and reduce your risk of heart disease." [2]

[1] https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-s...

[2] https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition/unders...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/arti...

"Previous studies have linked a higher fibre diet to protection from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers."

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