How Is Tapioca Fiber Produced?

Tapioca is a starch made from the storage roots of the cassava plant, grown in South America. The starch then goes through an enzymatic process to isolate the fiber. On a label it can be listed as soluble tapioca fiber, cassava root fiber, soluble tapioca fiber powder, soluble tapioca fiber syrup, prebiotic fiber, or prebiotic soluble fiber from tapioca.

Our #1 favorite fiber bar - 15g prebiotic tapioca fiber (resistant dextrin)

Does Tapioca Fiber Spike Blood Sugar? If So, How?

There are actually two types of tapioca fiber and our bodies respond to them differently -- one of them can spike blood sugar levels!

This is a soluble prebiotic fiber called isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO). Not only does it spike blood sugar levels, you need about 30g of IMO to have a prebiotic benefit. FDA has ruled that it can no longer be classified as dietary fiber and will be counted as carbohydrates moving forward.

The type of tapioca fiber that we at Resist use in our bars is resistant dextrin fiber -- meaning it resists digestion, makes its way to your gut, feeds the good bacteria, and has strong prebiotic benefit! This type of prebiotic tapioca fiber does not negatively affect blood sugar levels, helps you feel full, and may aid in the metabolic process (Hobden 2015).

Our #1 favorite fiber bar - 15g prebiotic tapioca fiber (resistant dextrin)

Benefits Of Tapioca Fiber

Fiber slows down the speed at which carbs are digested and how quickly sugar is absorbed into the blood. This helps you feel fuller for longer and keeps blood sugar stable. It also helps improve hormone health by improving insulin resistance and helps decrease ghrelin, your hunger hormone (Parnell 2009)

Resistant dextrin tapioca fiber has been shown to improve type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance and promote weight loss (Hu Q 2020, Aliasgharzadeh 2015). This is due to improved liver insulin resistance, improved serum lipid levels and reduced hepatic lipid deposition – which boosts fat metabolism (Hu F 2020).

One study of 55 women with Type 2 Diabetes, showed that 10g of resistant dextrin fiber significantly reduced the stress hormone cortisol, may have beneficial effects on mental health, and improve immune system response (Abbasalizad Farhangi 2018).

Another study of 62 women with PCOS, showed that “resistant dextrin consumption can regulate metabolic parameters and androgen levels and manifestations including hirsutism and menstrual cycle irregularity in women with PCOS” (Gholizadeh Shamasbi 2019).

Eat More Fiber!

Getting enough fiber in our diets can be difficult. Studies show less than 5% American adults meet the daily fiber recommendations of 25 grams for Women and 38 grams for men (Slavin 2005, Rehm 2016).

That is why we recommend supplementing with resistant dextrin tapioca fiber. Our favorite source is Resist bars because they supplement around half of your daily fiber, are low in sugar, and are clinically backed! Not a bar person? You can use a powder fiber supplement and mix into smoothies.