In this incisive episode of The 5 Minute Signal, Performance Research Expert Aris Sterling dismantles the "regularity" myth of dietary fiber to reveal its true role: a sophisticated biological architecture designed to govern metabolic speed. As the market becomes flooded with "fiber-washed" ultra-processed snacks and synthetic "keto" fibers, Sterling explains the critical concept of "Metabolic Friction." This is the physical and chemical process by which intact plant structures create a viscous mesh within the small intestine, blunting glucose spikes and preventing the oxidative stress that accelerates biological aging. We move beyond the basic RDA guidelines to discuss why the physical integrity of fiber determines its efficacy in blood glucose mastery. Learn why your "high-fiber" processed bar is failing your Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) and how to implement a high-precision fiber protocol that treats nutrition as a structural engineering challenge rather than a simple caloric intake. This is the maintenance manual for your internal filtration system.

Citations:

1. The Lancet: "Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses" (Analysis of dietary fiber and chronic disease).

2. Cell Host & Microbe: "Dietary Fiber Confers Protection against Metabolic Syndrome by Modulating Gut Microbiota" (On the physical barrier and signaling roles of fiber).

3. Journal of Nutrition: "Physicochemical Properties of Dietary Fiber" (The physics of viscosity and gastric emptying).