Reuters reports on a new study showing the importance of eating fiber. The study shows that eating fiber is linked with living a longer life.
Not only was eating fiber linked with a healthy diet but also people who ate fiber picked up fewer diseases in their lifetime. There were around a million people surveyed, the researchers wanted comprehensive results.
The new data might be explained by fiber’s potential to lower the risk of chronic diseases. These diseases include but are not limited to: heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several types of cancer. The research has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
How was the study conducted?
“They pooled data from 17 previous studies that tracked 982,411 men and women, mostly in Europe and the U.S., and recorded about 67,000 deaths. Yang’s team divided participants into five groups based on their daily fiber intake. Those in the top fifth, who ate the greatest amount of fiber daily, were 16 percent less likely to die than those in the bottom fifth, who consumed the least amount of fiber. In addition, eight studies showed a 10 percent drop in risk for any cause of death with each 10-gram per day increase in fiber intake,” according to Reuters.
What do other experts recommend?
The Department of Agriculture recommends that adults take in 14 grams of fiber in every 1,000 calories they consume. That means women should get around twenty five grams a day for women and for men around thirty eight grams every day.
Many experts are also saying that these study results are very much in line with earlier published meta-analyses of the connection between dietary fiber and the risk of major chronic diseases.
Dr. Burley, a nutrition researcher from the United Kingdom, told Reuters,
“These study results are very much in line with earlier published meta-analyses of the relationship between dietary fiber and risk of major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, and cancers. High-fiber foods may also make people feel full sooner, and for longer, which helps curb overeating and weight gain, she added. Some or all of these factors may underlie the reduction in mortality observed here.”
Experts say people can get their extra fiber by consuming two servings of whole grains (such as cereal) and two servings of fruit or veggies. Cereal is said to be particularly helpful in reducing your chances of getting colorectal or cardiovascular disease.
And the findings do not imply that taking a dietary fiber vitamin will help just as much as eating fiber rich foods.
Reuters reports, “Jessica Shapiro, a wellness dietitian at Montefiore Medicine Center in New York, suggests reading labels and choosing foods with at least three grams of fiber per serving. She also encourages eating a variety of foods that are high in fiber at each meal and snack, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, seeds and nuts.”
Experts also sugest that people consume more water along with fiber because it aids in digestion.
