Eat More Fiber and Live Longer!

We’ve been urged to eat more fiber in our diet for years – largely because it assists with bowel movements. While that's the most obvious benefit of dietary fiber intake, more recently there have been studies suggesting increased fiber can lower the risk of heart disease and bowel cancer. In the online version of the Archives of Internal Medicine there is a report from the National Cancer Institute on benefits of high fiber intake on mortality, particularly from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases.

Data came from a prospective study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the AARP. Over half a million adults between 50 and 71 completed food frequency questionnaires in 1995; more than 20,000 men and 11,000 women died during the subsequent nine years.

Participants’ fiber intake ranged from 13 to 29 g per day in men and from 11 to 26 g per day in women. Each 10 g-per-day increase in fiber intake was associated with a lower risk of death (the relative risks were 0.88 for men and 0.85 for women).  This relationship was unaffected by smoking status or body mass index (BMI).

Looked at another way, the 20% of men and women consuming the most fiber (29.4 g per day for men and 25.8 g for women) were 22% less likely to die than those eating the least (12.6 g per day for men and 10.8 g for women).

 The risk of cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases was reduced by 24% to 56% in men and 34% to 59% in women with high fiber intakes. A reduction of cancer deaths in association with dietary fiber intake was seen in men, but not in women. Importantly, dietary fiber from grains but not from other sources  was responsible for the associations observed.  Thus fiber from beans and vegetables showed only a weak link, and fiber from fruit showed no link with reduced mortalities. Clearly "whole grains" are the best choice for improving longevity. (For those who check labels, look for the actual words "whole grains" to ensure you are getting the right stuff.)