Fiber's Utilization for Energy and Life

The study aims to evaluate the metabolizable energy of the typical American diet with and without the inclusion of fiber. We hypothesize that including fiber in the diet will decrease the metabolizable energy of the diet resulting in more nutrient loss into the feces and urine.

The study will be a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial comprised of 2 experimental periods: 1) control and 2) fiber. Each experimental condition will be 16 days in length. There will be at least a 12-day compliance break between each period. Participants will undergo complete urine and fecal collection for a period five to seven days during the second half of each experimental condition.