Dr. Shawn Baker on health: what the evidence says · JRE #1050
SUBJECT: HEALTH
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
They looked at people with chronic constipation. They were always constipated and the only thing that helped them was taking all fiber out of their diet.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
A 2012 study in World Journal of Gastroenterology (Ho, Tan et al.) followed 63 patients with idiopathic chronic constipation who first tried a two-week no-fiber diet and then adjusted fiber intake to a self-selected level for up to six months; the subgroup that stayed fiber-free showed the most improved bowel frequency and no bloating, while a small subgroup that returned to high fiber intake saw no improvement. This uncontrolled, non-randomized study with self-selected subgroups appears to be the source Baker is describing, and it does show a benefit from fiber removal in this specific, treatment-resistant population. However, mainstream clinical guidance, including the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, recommends adequate dietary fiber (22-34 g/day) as a standard first-line approach for preventing and treating constipation in the general population. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials (1,251 participants) found fiber supplementation, particularly psyllium at doses above 10 g/day for four or more weeks, increased treatment response by roughly 48% compared with placebo and produced clinically meaningful increases in bowel movement frequency. The claim overstates a narrow, methodologically weak finding in one specific patient subgroup into a blanket assertion that fiber removal is "the only thing" that helps constipation, contradicting the broader evidence base showing fiber benefits most patients with chronic constipation. Status: misleading.