Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Those who supplemented with 500 mg of cactus fiber for 45 days had 3.5 times more fecal fat excretion than those in the placebo group.

In 2008, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 1.4 billion adults worldwide were overweight and that more than 500 million were obese (1), with 68.8% of American adults aged 20 years and older being overweight or obese in 2009 and 2010 (2). Obesity carries with it numerous health risks including insulin resistance, high levels of triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol levels, and high LDL levels which can lead to type 2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain cancers (3, 4) all of which have a very detrimental effect on quality of life (5). 

Because fat intake plays a more significant role than protein or carbohydrate in promoting obesity (6), ways to help decrease fat absorption from food include taking medication called lipase inhibitors to prevent the digestion and absorption of fat so it is excreted by the body (7). But with side effects that include digestive problems, increased defecation frequency, soft stools, oily spotting (8) and possible liver damage (9), interest in more natural approaches to affecting fat digestion and absorption are needed.

Now a new study (10) suggests that nopal, a cactus found in Mexico, Latin America, South Africa, and the Mediterranean (11) and a rich source of fiber (12) may be a safe option. The study involved 20 healthy volunteers (7 men, 13 women) aged 29 to 56. They received either cactus fiber (2 tablets 3 times daily with meals = 10 subjects) or placebo (10 subjects) for 45 days. Each tablet contained 500 milligrams standardized cactus fiber and each subject was fed a diet consisting of 2,200 calories (85 grams of fat), 2,600 calories (101 grams of fat), or 3,000 calories (115 grams of fat) based on their metabolism. After the study, the subjects provided fecal samples for the researchers to measure for fat levels.

After 45 days, those in the cactus fiber group not only had 3.5 times more absolute fat excretion compared to the placebo group (15.11 vs. 4.33 grams, p < 0.001). A 3.5 times greater percentage of the fecal samples in the cactus fiber group were also found to contain fat (15.79 vs 4.56%, p < 0.001). None of the subjects experienced any side effects.

For the researchers, “the administration of cactus fiber resulted in significant increases of dietary fat excretion in the feces” and that “future investigations on the effects on cactus fiber on blood lipid levels may add value to the research of its use beyond weight management.”

Source: Uebelhack, Ralf, et al. “Effects of cactus fiber on the excretion of dietary fat in healthy subjects: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical investigation.” Current Therapeutic Research 76 (2014): 39-44.

© 2014.TheAuthors.PublishedbyElsevierInc.CCBY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted December 15, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

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