Does Eating Too Much Fiber Cause Constipation?

Fiber is an essential nutrient that helps move food through your digestive system. Since fiber is largely indigestible, it can help aid digestion by making stools easier to pass. Exactly how this occurs, however, depends on the type of fiber. According to Verywell Health, fiber is either soluble or insoluble. Soluble fiber can be dissolved in water, while insoluble fiber cannot. As a result, fiber can either bulk up your stool or soften it, making it easier to pass through the colon.

Eating too much fiber, however, can have the opposite effect. As it turns out, eating excessive quantities of fiber can cause unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. But how do you know how much fiber is too much? While there is no maximum recommended fiber intake, research suggests that consuming more than 70 grams of fiber per day can increase the risk of side effects.

That being said, everyone is different and will have different reactions to fiber consumption. While the daily recommended intake of fiber ranges from 25 to 38 grams per day, you may need to consume more or less depending on your genetics and medical history. If you do end up eating too much fiber for your body and begin experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, there are plenty of things you can do to help relieve or prevent these side effects from occurring (via Healthline).

For instance, you can relieve digestive symptoms by reducing your daily fiber consumption and drinking plenty of water. It can also be helpful to reduce or eliminate high-fiber foods from your diet and engage in regular exercise or light physical activity. If you have a gastrointestinal disorder, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you might want to try following a low-FODMAP diet, which can help prevent unpleasant side effects by eliminating fibrous and fermentable foods from your everyday diet.