Everyone with constipation who ate a lot of fiber felt bloated—those who cut back felt bloated less often, and those who stopped fiber entirely didn’t feel bloated at all.
Scientific Claim
In adults with idiopathic constipation, the proportion of patients reporting abdominal bloating drops from 100% in the high-fiber group to 31.3% in the reduced-fiber group and 0% in the no-fiber group after six months.
Original Statement
“For no fiber, reduced fiber and high fiber groups, respectively, symptoms of bloating were present in 0%, 31.3% and 100% (P < 0.001).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The claim uses definitive language implying a direct effect, but the observational design cannot rule out confounding. The association is robust, but causation is unsupported.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The study found that when people with constipation ate less or no fiber, their bloating got much better — in fact, it disappeared completely in those who cut out fiber entirely.