Consumption of whole grain dietary fiber has been associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases. High fiber intake can reduced the risk of coronary heart disease.
Eating foods with high in fiber will help reduce energy intake thus facilitating body weight maintenance or weight loss.
Dietary fiber can be classified to soluble and insoluble. Both soluble and insoluble are essential for good health each serving different functions in the body.
For example insoluble improves intestinal health and is thought to reduce the risks of certain cancers. The study showed that people who ate the most dietary fiber (35 gm per day) reduced their risk of colon cancer by 40% compared with those who ate the least fiber (15 gm per day).
While soluble fiber lowers blood cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Both types of fiber can help with weight control. In the stomach they convey a feeling of fullness because they absorb water and some of them delay the emptying of stomach so that the person feel full longer.
Lack of dietary fiber is not only a cause of such gastrointestinal problems as diverticulitis and constipation – it is also implicated in high blood pressure and heart disease, and in obesity and obesity related diabetes.
Dietary fiber: Benefits to human body
