Short-Term Effect of Additional Daily Dietary Fibre Intake on Appetite, Satiety, Gastrointestinal Comfort, Acceptability, and Feasibility

Background: There is evidence that high-fibre diets have significant health benefits, although the effect of increasing fibre on individuals’ appetite, satiety, and gastrointestinal comfort is not well established, nor is its acceptability and feasibility. Methods: This mixed-methods feasibility randomised control trial included 38 participants allocated to one of three conditions: FibreMAX (two daily servings of 25 g of BARLEYmax(®)), FibreGRAD (two daily servings with the amount of fibre gradually increased), and Control (two daily servings totalling 25 g of placebo product). Participants completed a food diary at baseline. The Hunger and Fullness Questionnaire and questions regarding gastrointestinal response were completed at baseline and at the end of each week. Participants completed the acceptability of intervention measure and engaged in a semi-structured interview, following trial completion. Results: The qualitative data suggested that increased fibre influenced appetite and fullness perceptions. Baseline fibre consumption and the method of increased fibre increase did not influence our findings. The qualitative results also indicated that the fibre intake was perceived as beneficial to well-being; it influenced feelings of hunger and caused some minor acute gastrointestinal symptoms that dissipated after a short adaption period. Conclusion: This study suggests that increasing fibre intake through BARLEYmax(®) is a safe intervention that is acceptable to participants.