A diet high in fibre will help you to live longer…

A study conducted by a Boston research team for the Harvard School of Public Health has discovered that People who survive heart attacks have a greater chance of living longer if they increase their dietary intake of fibre.

The study was especially good for those of us who sit down and enjoy a bowl of cereal every day as cereal fibre has the highest benefit.

The study analysed 121,700 female nurses and 51,529 male health professionals over 20 years with reviews every two. Of that test group, 2,258 women and 1,840 men had heart attacks and those who were eating a diet with higher fibre content has a 25% lower chance of dying in the nine years after a heart attack.

The study found specifically that every 10g increase in dietary fibre intake was associated with a 15% lower risk of death. Until now it has been known that healthy people who have a high intake of dietary fibre have a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease but this is the first study to prove that fibre also has a significant impact on the life span of patients post-heart attack.

Fruit and vegetable fibre are not as effective at increasing the life span as cereal fibre so patients recovering from heart attacks should focus only on cereal fibre. High dietary fibre intake can improve blood lipid levels and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes while a low-fibre diet is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer so fibre is something we should all consciously increase in our diets.

According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, women over 60 should have a fibre intake of 25 grams per day and men should intake 30 grams per day. Currently, according to The Heart Foundation, Australian men and women over 60 have an intake of less than 20 grams per day.

To increase your fibre intake, try consuming more fibre boosting foods in your diet.

These could include;

• Wholegrain and multigrain bread
• Wheat based cereals such as Weetbix, Fibre Plus or All Bran
•  Whole wheat pasta
• Almonds
• Baked beans

Fibre can safe guard you against potential health issues and complications in the future, so make sure you give yourself a high fibre diet to stay healthy.

Do you feel that you get enough fibre in your diet? How do you keep your fibre intake up? Tell us in the comments below…