Health benefits of eating dietary fiber

Dietary fibers are found in plant source of foods not in meat or other animal source. Including dietary fiber in your diet helps your health in many ways. Here we have listed some top health benefits of eating dietary fiber.

Quick look

Dietary fiber

• Control blood sugar level
• Prevent constipation
• Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and mortality from all cancers
• Promote growth of beneficial colon bacteria
• Reduce risk of Diverticulitis
• Lower cholesterol
• Helps to lower high blood pressure, obesity, risk of stroke
• If your stools are in short pieces your diet may lack adequate fiber. 

In Details:

Control blood sugar level:

Dietary fiber in food controls absorption of sugar in a slow and steady rate. Slow absorption of sugar prevents sudden increase of blood sugar level and thus controls blood sugar level of patient with diabetes.

Prevent constipation:

Digestion process can’t break down insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber helps in slow digestion of food and in movement of the materials inside the intestine. Fiber speeds up the excretion of waste and toxin materials from the body, thus helps in preventing many diseases including constipation. Long sitting of toxins inside the intestine can cause many health disorder. Fiber help in removing it from the body.

Fiber scrubs the inner lining of digestive system to keep it clean and healthy.

Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and mortality from all cancers:

A systematic Review and Meta Analysis study found that intake of dietary fiber is associated with a lower risk of both cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. (1)

In an another study of A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies suggest that high dietary fiber intake is associated with a reduced risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and all cancers.(2)

Promote growth of beneficial colon bacteria:

Soluble fiber also helps in growth of health beneficial colon bacteria. Soluble fibers are mostly good source of food to those health beneficial colon bacteria(3).  In exchange food good colon bacteria return us some beneficial nutrients. Also friendly gut bacteria helps many ways to our health.  Colon health is one critical factor in maintaining good health as many diseases are originated from unhealthy colon. Dietary fiber help to maintain a healthy colon.

Diverticulitis:

Diverticulitis is an inflammatory disease in the wall of colon causing belly pain, boating, gas, diarrhrea or constipation, nausea, sometimes vomiting etc. Researcher found that a diet high in dietary fibers may decrease the risk of diverticular diseases.(4)

Lower cholesterol:

Fiber binds excessive cholesterol along with other waste product and prevents body to absorb cholesterol and finally comes out from the body along with other waste product.(5)Soluble fiber like beta glucan found in Quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, gluten free oats and pectin with food source like berries, grapes, apples, citrus fruits lowers LDL cholesterol.(6 7) You can also read more about cholesterol here.

Helps to lower high blood pressure, obesity, risk of stroke:

Intake of dietary fibers help to lower high blood pressure risk of stroke and to lose weight.(8)Dietary fibers bind with fats and prevent to be absorbed and finally help to eliminate with faces. You also read about high blood pressure and prevention here.

Final Word: Both soluble and insoluble fibers are important for good health. Both types of fibers usually come with varying proportions in almost all dietary plant food i.e. legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Usually  tough hard outer layer of plant based foods contains insoluble fiber. Inner part of foods contains soluble fiber. Daily 20 – 30 grams of total fiber is needed for good health. By consumption of considerable amount of varieties dietary source of whole plant based food can help you to get the desirable intake of fiber. Some healthier source of fibers include beans, peas, lentils, broccoli,  Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, okra, pears, turnips, sweet potato, artichokes, Psyllium seed husk, flax, oats, chia seeds, avocado, almonds and some others.

Adequate intake of fiber helps in normal bowl movement with one or two times in a day. Normal stools are light brown and continuous. If your stools are in short pieces your diet may lack adequate dietary fiber.

Caution

Dietary fiber is not always good for everyone. Perbiotics that is foods that feed bacteria can worsen to individual with conditions like SIBO(Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth, IBS. Therefore individual with such health conditions better restrict foods that feed bacteria. Consumption of excessive fiber may also cause gas, boating, abdominal pain etc.

You may also read about more about dietary fiber

Disclaimer:This article is for informational purpose only
Source & Ref.
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3898422/
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875213615001783?via%3Dihub
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22555633
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9521633?dopt=Citation
5.https://heartuk.org.uk/images/uploads/healthylivingpdfs/HUK_factsheet_F09
_OatBetaGlucanF.pdf
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25411276
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22190137
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19335713

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