Fiber can reduce the weight loss effect of sugar.

Weight gain after childbirth is a huge problem for many women. The baby and breastfeeding ramp up your metabolism and you add some weight to keep the baby safe. Anything you can do to limit post-delivery weight gain and to lose some of the weight gained would be a huge benefit for every mother who wants to remain healthy.

A new study from 2020 looked at beverages sweetened with sugar, fiber, and their potential impact on a mother’s weight after delivery​[1]​. The study was performed on Hispanic women, but it would not expect to be any different in other ethnic groups and I suspect the effect is not limited to those postpartum. The study used data from a California based research project called the Mother’s Milk Study. The researchers collected snakes and weight of mothers at 1 and 6 months postpartum.

The results of the study revealed that higher intakes of added sugar were associated with increased weight gain. In particular, it is a high glycemic intake of sweetened beverages that are tied to decreased weight loss and increased weight gain after pregnancy. The research also found that this effect was significantly reduced by fiber intake, but not as much as just not drinking the soda at all.

The bottom line: This study should be one more brick in the wall to block you from buying beverages sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and that this effect was partially but sigificantly reduced by increasing fiber intake. I would recommend fiber to all regardless of whether you drink sugar-sweetened beverages. Mor research is need to look at a more diverse patient population.