Many people consume less fiber than nutritionists recommend in countries such as the United States and Australia. However, recent studies have indicated that fiber may have more benefits than just promoting bowel motility. People should be encouraged to adopt healthy eating habits high in dietary fiber, which may potentially reduce the incidence of dementia.
So what is the best kind of fiber to consume, and where can you find it?
Fiber in Food
Dietary fiber comes from plant-based foods such as legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Because the human body’s digestive enzymes cannot fully decompose it, it stays within our intestinal tract.
Dietary Fiber’s Role in the Intestinal Tract
So what role does dietary fiber play in our gut?
Jingduan Yang
M.D.
Dr. Jingduan Yang is a board-certified psychiatrist and fifth-generation classical Chinese medicine physician whose work bridges Western psychiatry, functional medicine, and ancient healing traditions. He is the creator of the ACES Model of Health and Medicine—a four-dimensional framework spanning anatomy, chemistry, energy, and spirit—and the author of “Facing East” and “Clinical Acupuncture and Ancient Chinese Medicine.” As a principal founder of the Northern School of Medicine and Health Sciences, he advances whole-person care grounded in science, ethics, and humanity.
