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Fiber has surprising anti-aging benefits, but most people don’t eat enough of it

April 30, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. EDT
Fiber is found in beans, fruit, grains, nuts and vegetables. (iStock)

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Fiber gets well-deserved credit for keeping the digestive system in good working order — but it does plenty more. In fact, it’s a major player in so many of your body’s systems that getting enough can actually help keep you youthful. Older people who ate fiber-rich diets were 80 percent more likely to live longer and stay healthier than those who didn’t, according to a recent study in the Journals of Gerontology.

The trouble is, few Americans consume the amount they should. For people age 51 and older, government guidelines recommend at least 28 grams per day for men and 22 grams for women. But adults in this age group actually average just about 16 grams per day.

What is fiber, anyway?

Fiber is a carbohydrate found in plant foods: beans, fruit, grains, nuts and vegetables. Technically, it isn’t a nutrient because it isn’t broken down and absorbed. But that’s what makes it so beneficial.

There are several types of fiber, but they all fall into two broad categories: soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber is soft and dissolves in water, forming a gellike substance. It bulks up your stool, making it easier to pass. Sources include beans, oats, sweet potatoes and the flesh of some fruit.

Insoluble fiber is found in whole grains, vegetables and fruit skin. “This kind of fiber promotes contractions of the digestive tract that move food and waste through the body,” says Lindsay Malone, a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.

Many plant foods contain both, so by eating a variety, you’ll cover all your bases.

How it keeps you young

How can this simple substance have such a powerful effect on health and longevity? It turns out there are many ways that fiber works its magic.

●Cutting cholesterol. Soluble fiber binds to bile acids, substances produced by the liver that aid in digestion and fat absorption, and it helps your body excrete them. “The body then needs to produce more bile acids, and it pulls cholesterol from the blood to do it,” says JoAnn E. Manson, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

●Protecting against diabetes. A study published in 2009 in Diabetes Care found that people who got less than 20 grams of fiber per day had about a 50 percent greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who got 31 grams or more per day. “Eating a food that’s high in fiber slows the absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream,” Manson says, “so blood sugar levels rise more slowly and the pancreas has more time to react and produce insulin.”

●Controlling weight. Fiber adds bulk, so you feel full faster and stay full longer. And many high-fiber foods are low in calories.

●Lowering colorectal cancer risk. A recent report by the World Cancer Research Fund International/American Institute for Cancer Research found that eating 90 grams of fiber-rich whole grains daily could lower colorectal cancer risk by 17 percent.

●Reducing inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been linked to many diseases, such as arthritis, certain cancers and even Alzheimer’s. “Many studies have shown that increased insoluble fiber intake leads to reduced inflammation,” says Qi Sun, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

●Protecting joints. If fiber can reduce inflammation, it stands to reason that it may help reduce the risk of arthritis. And a recent study, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, offers some proof. Researchers evaluated two groups. In one, those whose daily fiber intake averaged 20 grams had a 30 percent lower risk of knee osteoarthritis than people who ate about eight grams. In the other, those who averaged about 25 grams of fiber per day had a 61 percent lower risk compared with those who consumed about 14 grams.

●Boosting good bacteria in the gut. “Fiber doesn’t digest, it ferments,” Malone says. “By the time it reaches the colon, the fermented material supplies food to help those good bacteria multiply and thrive.” A healthy supply of good bacteria can have far-reaching health effects, such as strengthening the immune system and helping to control inflammation.

Natural or not?

Beta glucan, cellulose, chicory root, inulin, pectin, psyllium and xanthan gum are types of fiber that are added to some packaged foods. The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing some of those ingredients to determine whether to allow manufacturers to continue to count them as part of a product’s total fiber content.

“The advantage of adding fiber into foods and beverages is to increase fiber without increasing calories,” says Joanne Slavin, a professor of food science at the University of Minnesota. But critics worry that this practice may make something that’s essentially junk food appear to be healthy because the label touts its fiber content.

Tips for boosting fiber intake

Getting fiber from foods naturally rich in it is your best bet. “Using a supplement as a replacement means missing out on all the other benefits of fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” Manson says.

And getting more fiber doesn’t limit you to eating only prunes and wheat bran. Some top sources include avocados, green peas, raspberries, sweet potatoes and pears.

People often cite gas and bloating as reasons for not adding more fiber-rich foods to their diets too quickly. That concern is warranted. “There are enzymes that need to be cultivated so that the intestines are ready to handle the increased load,” Manson says.

So up your fiber intake gradually; spread it across meals; drink more water simultaneously to avoid constipation; and consider experimenting with a variety of high-fiber foods to find which ones your digestive system tolerates best.

 Copyright 2018, Consumer Reports Inc.

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