Dietary Fiber Intake and Mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
Yikyung Park, Amy F. Subar, Albert R. Hollenbeck, Arthur G. Schatzkin · Archives of Internal Medicine (2011)
TL;DR
People who ate more fiber had a lower chance of dying over nine years, especially from heart, lung, and infection-related causes.
What they did
Researchers studied diet and death records from a large group of men and women. They used a food questionnaire at the start and followed people for about nine years. During that time, there were 20,126 deaths in men and 11,330 deaths in women.
What they found
Men and women with the highest fiber intake had a relative risk of 0.78 for total death compared with those with the lowest intake. Fiber was linked to a 24 to 56 percent lower risk of death from heart, infection, or lung diseases in men, and a 34 to 59 percent lower risk in women. Fiber from grains was tied to lower death risk, but fiber from other sources was not.
Why it matters
Adding more fiber-rich foods, especially grains, may be linked to a longer life. Studies suggest this could lower the chance of dying from common diseases like heart disease. Choosing whole grains and other fiber sources more often may support better health.
Limits
The abstract does not discuss study limits. This is general education, not medical advice.
Jargon explained
- relative risk
- A measure that compares the chance of an event happening in one group versus another.
Read the original: https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.18
Full citation
Yikyung Park, Amy F. Subar, Albert R. Hollenbeck, Arthur G. Schatzkin (2011). Dietary Fiber Intake and Mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Archives of Internal Medicine. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.18
Open access (green): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/3513325
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Educational information only, not medical or dietary advice. Consult a qualified health professional for personal nutrition guidance.