Fiber is often treated as if it were one simple substance: eat more of it, drink more water, and constipation disappears.
The reality is far more interesting.
The fiber that speeds one person’s digestion may slow another person’s. Wheat bran can make a sluggish bowel move, yet leave someone with irritable bowel syndrome painfully bloated. Psyllium can soften a hard stool—and, surprisingly, firm a loose one. A prebiotic fiber may nourish beneficial bacteria, but it can also create enough gas to make a sensitive gut miserable.
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