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Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fiber are associated with reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestive disorders and heart disease.

Diets low in fat and high fiber products containing cereals, fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble, can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Diets low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables, which are foods low in fat and may contain fiber or vitamin A (beta carotene) and vitamin C may reduce the risk of some cancers.

Found only in plant foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, fiber is composed of complex carbohydrates. Some fibers are soluble in water and others are insoluble. Most plant foods contain some of each species.

Some foods high in soluble fiber are dried beans, oats, barley, and some fruits, especially apples and citrus fruits, and vegetables such as potatoes. Foods rich in insoluble fiber are wheat bran, whole grains, cereals, seeds and skins of many fruits and vegetables.

Health Fiber

What can you do to the fiber? Numerous epidemiologic (population) studies have shown that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fiber are associated with reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestive disorders and heart disease. However, since high-fiber foods may also contain antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals and other substances that may offer protection against these diseases, researchers can not say with certainty that fiber alone is responsible for reduced health risks they observe, notes Joyce Saltsman, a nutritionist with the Bureau of the FDA food labeling. "Moreover, nobody knows if a specific type of fiber is more beneficial than another since fiber-rich foods tend to contain different types," she added.

Recent findings on the health effects of fiber show it may play a role in:

Cancer: Epidemiological studies have consistently noted an association between low fiber intake and total fat and reduces the high incidence of colon cancer. A 1992 study by researchers at Harvard Medical School has found that men who consumed 12 grams of fiber per day were twice as likely to develop precancerous colon changes as men whose daily fiber intake was about 30 grams. The exact mechanism of reduction of risk is not known, but scientists assume that insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, which in turn dilutes carcinogens and speeds their transit through the intestines and the outside the body.

The evidence that diets rich in fiber may protect against breast cancer is equivocal. researchers analyzing data from the Nurses' Health Study, which followed 89,494 women for eight years, concluded in 1992 that fiber intake has no influence on the risk of breast cancer among middle-aged women. Previously, a review and analysis of 12 studies showed a link between fiber intake and reduced risk.

At first, some breast tumors are stimulated by excessive amounts of estrogen circulating in the blood. Some scientists believe that fiber may hamper the growth of these tumors by binding with estrogen in the intestine. This prevents the excess estrogen from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Digestive disorders: Because insoluble fiber digestion and adds bulk to stool, it hastens passage of feces through the intestine, which helps prevent or relieve constipation. Fiber can also help reduce the risk of diverticulosis, a condition in which small pouches form in the colon wall (usually the pressure of straining during bowel movements). People who already have diverticulosis often that increased consumption of fiber may reduce symptoms, which include constipation and / or diarrhea.