Want to Prevent the Deadliest Diseases? Eat More Fiber

If you want to eat something for better health, make it fiber. That’s the advice from nutrition experts and the latest national dietary guidelines. Now, a large new review of studies on fiber, published in the Lancet, shows just how beneficial fiber can be. The nutrient substantially lowers the risk of at least four diseases—many of which don’t even directly relate to the gut. Compared to those who ate less fiber, people who ate more fiber lowered their risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer, as well as their risk of dying early from any cause, by 15% to 30%. And the more dietary fiber people ate, the lower their risk. For every additional 8 grams of fiber consumed, the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer dropped by 5% to 27%. According to the data, people eating 25-29 grams of fiber from foods like fruits and vegetables every day (not from supplements or powders) showed the strongest reductions in risk of the range of diseases, and those eating more tended to show even lower risk. The researchers saw similar benefits among people who ate whole grains. “Our research indicates that people should have at least 25-29 grams of fiber from foods per day,” says Andrew Reynolds, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand. “Currently, most people consume less than 20 grams of fiber per day, so being more conscious about choosing high-fiber food options will help ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Cancer Diet/Nutrition healthytime Heart Disease Source Type: news