Fiber is thought to maintain your digestive system healthy and lower levels of cholesterol. Now, study results suggest it might even protect the brain from dementia.
The study involved nearly 3,700 healthy adults, ages 40 to 64, who accomplished routine dietary surveys for 16 years. The researchers then followed the participants for 20 years to see which individuals developed dementia. The study found that those that ate probably the most fiber per day had the bottom rates of dementia. The reverse was also true—those that ate the least fiber had the best rates. Specifically, the low-risk group consumed a median of 20 grams per day, while the highest-risk individuals averaged only 8 grams. (The USDA recommends that men over age 50 eat 30 grams of fiber per day.)
The researchers hypothesized that several mechanisms could also be at play. For example, a weight loss plan wealthy in fiber helps reduce weight and blood pressure, changes that protect against vascular dementia (declining considering skills resulting from reduced blood flow to the brain). Fiber also increases good bacteria within the gut, which may reduce brain inflammation through a connection called the brain-gut axis. The study only showed an association and couldn’t prove that differences in dietary fiber were accountable for changes in dementia risk. But, it highlights one other way that weight loss plan can support mental health. Results published online on 6 February 2022. Nutritional Neuroscience.
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