Why different fibres create different outcomes

Fibre isn't one thing. Different fibres can influence the body in different ways. Some help stool retain water and move more easily through the gut. Some form viscous gels that can slow digestion and, depending on the specific fibre, help improve blood glucose control and reduce LDL cholesterol (Jovanovski et al., 2019; Jovanovski et al., 2018).

Others are fermented by gut microorganisms, producing short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate and butyrate. These metabolites help regulate intestinal barrier function and immune signalling (Mann, Lam & Uhlig, 2024).

MacroBlue combines multiple fibre sources with broader active nutrition, including creatine, magnesium, vitamins B, C and D, zinc and calcium. Please check individual formulas, which may differ.

One scoop designed to taste delicious, and provide diverse fibre and useful daily vitamins, calcium and magnesium.

The aim is simple: make one daily habit easier and work harder across your day.

One macro. Many different fibres.

You've probably heard fibre divided into two groups: soluble and insoluble.

It's a useful starting point, but it's not the whole story.

Researchers also describe fibres by characteristics including viscosity, fermentability, solubility and water-holding capacity, because those properties can influence their effects through the digestive tract.

Resistant starch, for example, has different physical and fermentative properties from a viscous fibre such as psyllium. Other fermentable fibres provide different substrates for gut microorganisms.

Why use more than one fibre?

Different fibres do different things.

We've combined up to seven fibre sources, each selected for their solubility, physical and fermentative properties.

Different fibres are used by different microorganisms and fermented at different rates. This is one reason researchers are interested in fibre diversity in addition to daily fibre targets.

That allows a formula to draw on a wider range of fibre characteristics than relying on one ingredient alone.

Up to seven fibre sources.
One daily blend.

And importantly, we wanted to make something you would actually want to take every day.

What does “multi-source fibre” mean?

Multi-source simply means the fibre comes from more than one fibre ingredient or source.

Some fibre supplements are built predominantly around one type of fibre.

MacroBlue uses different fibre combinations depending on what each formula is designed to do.

Our full daily fibre formula uses up to seven complementary sources.

It isn't intended to replace fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts or seeds.

Think of it as a simple way to add more fibre to your day.

Fibre is more complicated than soluble vs insoluble

Scientists have long classified fibre according to whether it dissolves in water. Today, researchers also pay attention to characteristics including fermentability, viscosity, solubility and water-holding capacity.

Fermentability

Some fibres can be fermented by gut microorganisms in the large intestine. During fermentation, they can produce compounds including short-chain fatty acids. Different fibre sources vary considerably in how readily they are fermented.

Viscosity

Certain fibres become viscous when mixed with fluid. Viscosity is one of the physical characteristics researchers use to distinguish different fibre types.

Water-holding and bulking

Some fibres interact strongly with water and can contribute to the physical bulk of material moving through the digestive system.

Resistant starch

Despite the name, resistant starch is different from ordinary digestible starch. It resists digestion in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine, where at least some forms can be fermented by gut microorganisms.

Why not just take one fibre?

You can.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a single-source fibre supplement, and individual fibres such as psyllium have substantial research behind them.

MacroBlue simply starts from a different question:

If our diets naturally contain many different fibres, why would a daily fibre blend have to contain only one?

So our formulas can use more than one fibre source where that makes sense for the product.

And why a powder?

Because getting enough fibre consistently can be surprisingly difficult.

MacroBlue isn't a substitute for eating plants.

It is designed for the days when real life doesn't look quite like the beautifully varied plate you had planned.

Add it to your day. Keep eating plants. Keep going.

The short version

Fibre is a category, not a single ingredient.

Different fibres vary in solubility, structure, viscosity, water-holding capacity and fermentability.

MacroBlue formulas can combine different fibre sources to create different nutritional profiles for different products.

Up to seven fibre sources. One daily blend. Made delicious.

Read: Prebiotic fibre explained →

Read: How to choose a fibre supplement →

How much fibre do you actually need? →

Shop Blood Orange RISE →

Read the MacroBlue fibre FAQs →

References

Jovanovski, E. et al. (2019) ‘Should Viscous Fiber Supplements Be Considered in Diabetes Control? Results From a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials’, Diabetes Care, 42(5), pp. 755-766. doi:10.2337/dc18-1126.

Jovanovski, E. et al. (2018) ‘Effect of psyllium (Plantago ovata) fiber on LDL cholesterol and alternative lipid targets, non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials’, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 108(5), pp. 922-932. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy115.

Mann, E.R., Lam, Y.K. and Uhlig, H.H. (2024) ‘Short-chain fatty acids: linking diet, the microbiome and immunity’, Nature Reviews Immunology, 24(8), pp. 577-595. doi:10.1038/s41577-024-01014-8.