High fibre diet lengthens life

Eating a diet rich in fiber reduces the risk of dying from heart disease, infectious and respiratory diseases or any other cause by over 20 percent.

Fibre, the edible part of plants that resist digestion, has also been tied to a reduced risk of developing heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and obesity. In addition, fibre helps bowel movements and lowers cholesterol levels, blood sugar and blood pressure. It also promotes weight loss and reduces inflammation, and bind to potential cancer-causing agents to increase the likelihood they will be excreted by the body.



Prior studies have focused on the relationship between fibre intake and cardiovascular disease, but few have examined the link between dietary fibre and risk of death from any cause. To investigate the same, researchers collected data on 388,122 men and women who took part in the American National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. As part of the study, participants filled out a questionnaire that asked about their diet. The amount of fibre people in the study ate ranged from 13 grams to 29 grams per day in men and from 11 grams to 26 grams per day in women. Over nine years of follow-up, 20,126 men and 11,330 women died.

It was found that men and women who ate the most fibre were 22 percent less likely to die, over an average of nine years of follow-up, than people who ate the least fibre. Moreover, the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease was cut 24 percent to 56 percent among men who ate the most fibre and reduced by 34 percent to 59 percent among women.

Fibre from grains, but not from fruits, was associated with reduced risks of dying.


The findings add to the literature, and suggest that not only does a diet rich in dietary fiber from whole plant foods provide significant health benefits but dietary fibre intake is associated with decreased likelihood of death.