People who eat lots of food high in fibre and whole grain foods have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic diseases than people whose diets are low in fibre says new WHO study.
People who eat more fiber are less likely to die of any cause during a recent study, Reuters reports. And by more fibre researchers mean for every 8 gram increase in eaten a day, total deaths and incidences of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer fell by 5 to 27 per cent, the study said. Protection against stroke and breast cancer also rose.
The researchers – commissioned by the World Health Organization to inform future fiber intake recommendations – analysed over 180 observational studies and 50 clinical trials from the past four decades.
“Our findings provide convincing evidence for nutrition guidelines to focus on increasing dietary fibre and on replacing refined grains with whole grains. This reduces incidence risk and mortality from a broad range of important diseases,” Jim Mann, a professor at the University of Otago, New Zealand who co-led the research tells Reuters.
Dietary fiber includes plant-based carbohydrates such as whole-grain cereal, seeds and some legumes. According to the study, most people worldwide currently consume less than 20g of dietary fibre a day.
According to the USDA Food Composition Databases, the following foods offer you these quantities of fibre in your diet:
Lentils, cooked, 1/2 cup = 8 grams fiber
Wheat bran, 1/4 cup = 6 grams fiber
Pear, 1 large, fresh, = 5 grams fiber
Apple, 1 medium, fresh = 4 grams fiber
Blueberries, fresh, 1 cup = 4 grams fiber
Strawberries, fresh, 1 cup = 4 grams fiber
Green peas, cooked, 1/2 cup = 4 grams fiber
Carrots, cooked, 1/2 cup = 3 grams fiber
Spinach, cooked, 1/2 cup = 3 grams fiber
Banana, fresh, 1 medium = 3 grams fiber
Orange, fresh, 1 medium = 3 grams fiber
Multigrain bread, 1 slice = 2 grams fiber
The analysis found no dangers with a high fiber intake. But it does caution that for people with an iron deficiency, high levels of whole grains can further reduce iron levels.