More dietary fiber linked to lower deaths

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A U.S. study found those who eat the highest levels of dietary fiber significantly decreased their risk of death in both men and women, researchers say.

Yikyung Park of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues analyzed data from 219,123 men and 168,999 women in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.

The study participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the study in 1995 and 1996. Fiber intake ranged from 13 to 29 grams per day in men and from 11 to 26 grams per day in women.

The nine-year study, published online ahead of print of the June 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, indicated the one-fifth of men and women consuming the most fiber -- 29.4 grams per day for men and 25.8 grams for women -- were 22 percent less likely to die than those consuming the least -- 12.6 grams per day for men and 10.8 grams for women.

The risk of cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases was reduced by 24 percent to 56 percent in men and 34 percent to 59 percent in women with high fiber intakes.

Dietary fiber from grains, but not from sources such as fruit, was associated with reduced risks of total cardiovascular, cancer and respiratory disease deaths in men and women.