Even your great-grandmother knew fiber was the secret to keeping you “regular.” But fiber has many other surprisingly powerful health benefits. Here are nine other excellent reasons to bulk up on fiber.
Even your great-grandmother knew fiber was the secret to keeping you “regular.” And science has proved it time and again. Studies show fiber can help improve constipation, incontinence, and even bleeding hemorrhoids. So no news there.
But fiber has many other surprisingly powerful health benefits you may not have suspected. Whether you get yours as grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables or even bamboo shoots, here are nine other excellent reasons to bulk up on fiber.
1. Reduce Heart Disease
The more fiber you get from grains, fruits, and vegetables, the lower your risk of coronary heart disease according to a meta-analysis published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers from China reviewed 18 studies involving more than 670,000 people. Those eating the most fiber reduced their risk of any kind of coronary heart event by seven percent compared to those who ate the least. Even more impressive, however, was the fact that their fiber intake was linked to a 17 percent drop in mortality risk.
