Lower Cholesterol, and Reduced Blood Glucose. By Stephen Laifer
Recent interest in the importance of including fiber in the diet belies the fact that nutritional specialists have advocated its benefits for more than half a century. Even before the fifth century BC, the Greek physician Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of Western medicine, recommended consuming fiber-rich natural foods. In 1953, nutritionist E. H. Hipsley introduced the term “dietary fiber” to represent intake of the indigestible components of plant cell walls.1
A more precise definition of fiber was established in 1969, as prevailing nutritional habits were linked with the prevalence of various diseases.2,3 In their study of traditional foods consumed by different cultures, Drs. Hugh Trowell and Dennis Burkitt noted that cultures with diets rich in plant foods rarely suffered from illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.4 By contrast, these diseases had become widespread in developed Western societies in the late 1800s with the advent of a milling technique that produced a new, fiber-depleted dietary staple: white flour.3 Fiber, they therefore reasoned, might offer protection against many of the diseases prevalent in modern Western societies.
These early nutrition research findings have been borne out by countless subsequent studies. One recent study found that every additional 10 grams of fiber consumed on a daily basis cuts the risk of coronary heart disease death by 27%.5 Modern medicine recognizes fiber—the edible parts of plants that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine—to be an essential component in maintaining a healthy body. Today, a growing body of research is examining one of fiber’s least-publicized benefits: its ability to help reduce caloric intake and thus maintain a healthy weight.View rest of original article
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