Why Increasing Fibre can Help with Better Mood in Women
- Helen
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
Dietary fibre is an essential part of a healthy diet and is important for many functions in the body such as regulating bowels, increasing satiety (fullness), and regulating blood cholesterol, glucose, and insulin levels, but did you know it can help with depressive symptoms? In 2021, scientists published a review looking at dietary fibre and symptoms of depression. They reviewed nine studies. Overall, they concluded that individuals with depression consumed less fibre and, individuals consuming higher levels of fibre had lower odds of experiencing depression. Similarly, a review of 18 studies examined links between fibre, anxiety, and depression. Although they didn’t identify a relationship between fibre and anxiety, they did find links to depression. Each 5-gram increase in daily fibre intake was associated with a 5% reduction in depression risk!
I know that I feel sluggish and sometimes a bit down if I eat an unhealthy diet of processed food without many fruits and vegetables. There is also a 2025 study looking at fibre and mood and it showed a significantly increased daily positive affect and reduced daily negative affect in female but not male participants, when increasing the amount of fibre in the diet.
According to the Association of UK Dieticians, the average fibre intake for UK adults is just 18 grams per day. The recommended daily amount is 30 grams, which means the majority of the population is missing out on one of the most important components of a healthy diet. Dr Tim Spector (of the Zoe App) recommends 30 different plants a week (this includes herbs and spices, which are classified too). Eating enough fibre is an essential part of any healthy diet. One study involving over 4,600 participants found that a diet rich in fibre was associated with up to 31% lower risk of developing many chronic diseases. That in itself is a great reason to making some changes.
Easy ways to increase fibre:
Add seeds and nuts, like flaxseeds or chia seeds and almonds to your breakfast or salads
Add beans, lentils or chickpeas to soups, stews, curries or bolognese
Eat hummus as a snack with cut up vegetables
Try fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir (all now readily available in the supermarket, or easy to make your own)
Eat the skin of certain fruits and vegetables as most of the fibre is in the skin (e.g potatoes, carrots, apples and pears)
Switch to whole grains. Whole grains have far more fibre than their refined-grain counterparts. Whole grain pasta, breads, oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, and other whole grains are widely available in most supermarkets.
• Remember to increase your water intake when increasing the amount of fibre you eat to help it move through your digestive system.
References:
A prebiotic intervention improves mood in everyday life in healthy women but not in men:Exploratory results from a larger double-blind placebo controlled cross-over study. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354624001960
A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Medicine. (2017). https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y?mod=article_inline
Association between dietary glycemic index and glycemic load with depression: a systematic review. European Journal of Nutrition. (2018). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-018-1710-5
Association of dietary fiber and depression symptom: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. (2021). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229920318884
