Fibre is the quiet workhorse of nutrition. It rarely makes headlines and, till now, rarely popped up as a trend. But the whole #fibremaxxing thing made us look a bit further into the issue. We, like most we assume, figure every social media trend is purely attention farming. But this one actually stands up.  The gap between what we're eating and what the evidence recommends is one of the starkest in modern nutrition.

The government guidance is 30g a day. The average UK adult gets around 16–18g. Only 4% hit the target. That's quite the gap.

The case for closing it is substantial. A 2025 umbrella review drawing on data from 17 million people across 33 meta-analyses found meaningful associations between higher fibre intake and reduced risk across 38 health outcomes. The strongest signals were around cardiovascular disease mortality, bowel conditions, and all-cause mortality. With higher intake linked to an 18–25% reduction in CVD mortality risk. Which isn't exactly a marginal gain.

Less discussed is the mechanism that connects fibre to broader systemic health. When fermentable fibres reach the gut, bacteria break them down into short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are primarily butyrate, propionate, and acetate. These compounds feed the gut lining, support immune regulation, and appear to play a role in reducing systemic inflammation. The research is still developing, but the direction is clear: what you feed your microbiome matters well beyond digestion. (Just flagging, again, the case for inflammation being the next big thing in health.)

For those looking to move the dial practically, our CARB block offers a 35g serving of powdered oats with around 3g of fibre, including beta-glucan, the soluble fraction with the strongest cardiovascular evidence. 

But, repeat after us, again: 'they're called supplements for a reason'. Whole foods remain your foundation. All the usual suspects: vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, fruit. But for those consistently falling short, these blocks offer a clean, evidence-aligned way to build on it.

So, it seems #fibremaxxing might not be such a bad idea for most people. With the caveat that we're not trying to max out our possible intake. Just max it a bit to hit the recommended dose.

Linky Linky

• Dietary fibre and health outcomes — umbrella review of 17 million people — Clinical Nutrition, 2025
• Only 4% of UK adults meet fibre recommendations — NDNS analysis — The Food Foundation, 2024