There is no doubt that the fiber is one of the most important substances that you need to keep the health of your body. Fiber is widely known for its ability to make you have the frequent and regular bowel movements. These fibers could be divided into two groups, which are:
- Soluble Fiber – Soluble fiber absorbs the water in the foods, which then will slow down the digestion process of the foods. You could find the soluble fibers in the oatmeal, oranges, carrots, and dried peas.
- Insoluble Fiber – Insoluble fiber will add bulk in the stool, which will help to speed up the movement of the waste through the digestive tract quickly and relieves constipation. You could find the insoluble fibers in seeds, nuts, and dark green leafy vegetables.
So, after you already know the two different types of fiber, you might wonder what is the exact health benefits of fiber. In the article below, you will find 21 health benefits of fiber for the health of your body.
- Prevent Heart Disease
The first benefit that you could get when you consume enough fibers is that you will be more likely to prevented from the heart disease. In fact, there are so many studies that already proved that fibers could protect you from the heart disease.
So, there is a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Foundation that followed just about 40,000 women for six years long. The study found out that the average consumption of fibers at 26,3 grams per day in those women leads them to lower risk of developing the heart attack compare with other women who ate fibers less than 26,3 grams.
- Prevent Diabetes
The next benefits that you could get when you’re having the suffice amount of fibers in the body is that you could be prevented from the diabetes. There is a link between taking enough amount of fibers and the lower risk of diabetes. So, whenever you consume fibers, these fibers will slow down could reduce the absorption of sugar, which then without a doubt will reduce the glucose levels in the blood too.
In addition to that, there is a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine that suggest the whole-grains fiber such as cereal, bread, and crackers could be more beneficial in reducing the blood sugar levels in the body compared with fruits and vegetables.
- Weight Loss
You could resist the benefit of fiber in reducing the people’s weight. When you’re consuming fiber, this fiber will expands in the stomach and in your intestines too which creates the feeling of fullness in the stomach longer than usual. As the result, you will eat less and eat with smaller portion than usual throughout the day.
In the matter of fact, the type of soluble fiber would form as a gel in your stomach, which then it will bind the sugar, cholesterol, and fats and then carries them through the digestive tract without the absorption.
- Reduce the Possibility of Colon Cancer
While this benefit of fiber still needs the further research due to the lack of scientific evidence, but there are possibilities that the fiber could reduce the possibility of you having the colon cancer. As the fact there are some early studies that shown the promising result from the fiber to act as carcinogenic to prevent you from many types of cancer, especially colon cancer. But. as already mentioned above, this benefit still needs further experiments.
- Prevent Cholesterol
The next benefit that you could get from the fiber is the fact that you will be more likely to prevented from the cholesterol disease. So, as already mentioned above that the dietary fibers, when these carbohydrates are already in your stomach, will form as a gel, which then will bind the fats and cholesterol and carries them onto your digestive tract.
Some studies have already indicated that when these fibers binds both the cholesterol and fats, this mean that the fiber will lower the LDL cholesterol levels in your body. As you know, LDL cholesterol is widely associated with the bad cholesterol which will bring the bad effects in the body.
- Prevent Constipation
This has probably become one of the main benefits of fiber. Fiber is widely known can prevent people from constipation. Not only it can prevent you from constipation, but fiber is very beneficial too to treat the constipation for everyone of you who already suffers from constipation.
So, the fiber is not absorbed through the gastrointernal tract, but fiber could help to absorb the water and increase the bulk in the stool so that this fiber can speed up the movement of the stool in the bowel through the intestines. In fact, some studies also already proved that the fiber is very beneficial to prevent you from constipation.
- Release the Toxins
The next benefit of fiber is that the toxins that could be very harmful and bring some bad effects in your body will be released out of the body by the addition of fiber. So, as already mentioned above that the fiber will help to add the bulk in the stool and these fibers could also speed up the passing foods through the intestinal tract.
Because of the fibers could speed up the passing foods in the intestinal tract, thus the toxic waste material could also possibly flushed out easily from your body through the soft stool.
- Regulates Bowel
This benefit of fiber is closely related to its benefit to prevent constipation and release the toxins. As already mentioned above, the fiber could help to absorb the water and thus, it could speed up the passing foods through your intestinal tract which without a doubt will regulates the bowel movement. Aside from the regulates of bowel movements, fiber is indeed could also prevent you from the irritable bowel syndrome.
- Prevent Stroke
You could be surprised that the fiber is also might be beneficial for preventing you from the stroke disease. In the matter of fact, many studies have already conducted and they showed the promising result in association with the link between the fiber and stroke disease.
So, many studies suggest that the sufficient amount of fiber in the body can lower the risk of people having the stroke disease. Based on the American Heart Association, a consumption of 25 grams of fiber per day will be enough for protecting yourself from the stroke disease. So, it is better for you to have the whole grains like cereal, bread, or crackers as the breakfast.
- Boost Your Energy
This benefit of fiber is still needs further experiments and research too since the statement that the fiber could increase the energy still have the lack of the scientific evidence and thus, that statement may be still become a myth nowadays because we don’t know whether it is right or wrong.
But, the fact and the theory is that the fiber is one of the form of indigestible carbohydrates, which are derived from the foods like whole grains such as bread, cereal, and crackers, which are widely known as the common source of your energy to stay energetic throughout the day.
- Prevent From Gallstone and Kidney Stone Diseases
The next benefit that you could get from the fiber is that the fiber could protect you from the dangerous and hazardous diseases like gallstone and kidney stone diseases.
So, how could the fiber possibly protect you from these diseases? Well, as you already know that the fiber could prevent the large amount of insulin from entering the bloodstream during the digestion process. the large amount of insulin is one of the main causes of the creation of gallstone and kidney stone.
- Increased Mineral Absorption
The other benefit that you could get from the fiber is that the fiber will increase the ability of your body to absorb more mineral from the foods, especially the calcium. In fact, this benefit of the fiber has already been proven by several studies.
So, the study conducted by the research called Abrams shows that the fiber not just will improve the ability of your body to absorb more minerals, but also it could improve the bone mineral density in the adolescents.
- Increased Insulin Sensitivity
Health Benefits of Fiber is most powerful to increase insulin sensitivity. The next benefit that you could get from having sufficient amount of fiber in the body is that the fiber could increase the insulin sensitivity in the body. In fact, the researchers have already conducted the study which is shown that the sufficient amount of fiber in the body could stimulate the production of hormones called Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) which are related to increase the insulin sensitivity in your body.
- Increased Immunity
The next benefit that you could get from having sufficient fiber in the body is that your immune system will be boosted. So, many studies have indicated that the sufficient amount of the daily intake of fiber would be beneficial to increase your immunity and thus, this fiber will protect you from many diseases.
Based on the research, the fiber could possibly increase your immune system in two mechanisms. The first one is, the sufficient amount of fiber would increase the amount of healthful bacteria in the body, just like the probiotics. The second mechanism is that the fiber would also reduce the adhesion of pathogens to the colonic cell walls, which the fiber would flushed them away from your body through the digestive tract.
- Helps in Reversing Age
The next benefit of fiber that you could get is related to the skin health. Fiber is also widely known for the benefits of your skin, especially if you want to have the younger and fresher looks than before. Sometimes, you couldn’t deny if the sign of skin ageing such as wrinkles or heavy pigmentation would come into your skin as soon as the time goes by. But you could delay it if you have sufficient amount of fiber in your daily intake.
So, there is a proven evidence that antioxidants that contained in Vitamin C would help you to prevent early skin-ageing. But, the addition of high dietary-fiber foods will ensure your body gets more time to absorb the nutrients required for the collagen production, which is the beneficial protein for the health of your skin.
- Enhance the Glowing Skin
The next benefit for the health of your skin by consuming high-fiber foods is that this fiber would be beneficial to enhance your glowing skin. Sometimes, you couldn’t also deny that your skin will be exposed by the dirt, dust, and pollution whenever you’re doing the outdoor activities. Those pollutants without a doubt would make your skin become dull and lifeless.
The addition of a sufficient amount of fiber would prevent you from this problem. Specifically, the addition of fiber will protect yourself from the inside. The high amount of fiber in the body would facilitate your kidneys and liver to expel the toxins out of your body easily and thus, this will maintain your hormonal balance and enhance your glowing skin.
- Prevent From Breakouts
The next benefit of fiber that associated with the health of your skin is that the fiber would also beneficial to prevent the breakouts in your skin. As you already know, the main cause of the breakouts comes from the unhealthy digestive system. The trouble on your digestive system would cause the visibility of acne and scars in your skin.
Taking the rich source of dietary fiber foods could prevent you from this problem. As already mentioned above that the fibers will bind the fats, waster material, and toxins and flushed them out of your body since those things are the main causes of the breakouts in your skin.
- Strengthen the Follicle of the Hair
The next benefit that you could get from the fiber is that this fiber could also maintain the health of your hair, especially to strengthen the follicle of the hair. You must oftenly see that the people are suffering from the hair loss due to the improper diet. The sufficient amount of fiber could help you to get the powerful hair follicles.
So, how could the addition of fiber can strengthen the follicle of your hair? The fiber in the boy, as you already know, will slow down the absorption of protein in the body. As the result, the prolonged absorption of protein can strengthen your hair follicles and thus, it also could reduce the hair loss.
- Facilitates the Production of Melanin
The next benefit that you could get from the fiber associated with the health of your hair is the fact that the fiber could facilitate the production of melanin. Melanin is the substance that would responsible for the color of your hair. The sufficient production of melanin means that your hair will maintain its true color and delays the hair whitening.
So, the melanin is commonly produced by your body from the intake of high protein foods such as seafoods. As you already known, the fiber can slow down the protein absorption in the body, which without a doubt will absorb more protein that can produce the melanin that can be beneficial to retain your hair color.
- Prevent Hemorrhoids
The next benefit that you could get from the fiber is that this kind of carbohydrate will prevent you from the hemorrhoid disease. Hemorrhoid disease is commonly occurs when you have the infrequent bowel movements. This disease can be painful and we bet that you wouldn’t experience it again. So, the easiest thing that you could do to protect yourself from the hemorrhoids is taking the sufficient amount of fiber since the fiber could add bulk in the stool, which will make you have the regular bowel movements.
- Prevent Diverticulitis
The next health benefits of fiber that you could get from the sufficient amount of fiber in the body is that you will be more likely to prevented from the disease called diverculitis. Many studies indicate that the main cause of diverculities is because the lack amount of fiber in the body. So, the divercula is commonly forming in the area where the digestive muscles are strained or weakened and that’s why the constipation is one of the main causes of diverticulitis.
Because the constipation causes the pressure to build up in the colon, it would may also lead to the inflammation of diverticula that are already present in the colon, which causing the painful condition called diverticulitis. The addition of fiber could prevent this disease since the fiber could add bilk in the stool and thus, this would not make the digestive muscles strained nor weakened.
List of Foods that Contains High Amount of Fiber
So, after you’ve already known that there are tons of benefits that you could get from the fiber, now you might wonder what type of foods that you need to consume so that you could add some fibers in the body. Luckily, you could find the top 25 fiber-rich foods based on their categories in the following lists.
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Fruits |
Legumes | Nuts & Seeds | Meals, Canned Foods, & Breads | Grains |
Vegetables |
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Fiber Warnings and Precautions
Well, while we must agree that the fiber could give you the tons of benefits, but we need to agree that taking everything excessively is not good, and the intake of fiber is no exception. So, you might need to see the precautions and warnings related to the intake of fibers.
- Diarrhea
The excessive intake of fibers could lead you to the diarrhea, because as already mentioned in the benefits section, the fiber could speed up the movement of the foods in the intestinal tract. If you’re consuming fiber excessively, this will make the movement of the foods become too quick and your body couldn’t cope with that and as the result, the watery bowel movements could occur that will lead you to diarrhea.
- Abdominal Cramps
Taking too much fiber could also lead you to the abdominal cramps since the excessive amount of fiber will slow down the absorption of the foods, which sometimes could make you feel some discomforts and cramps in the abdominal area.
- Intestinal gas
This is also the most common thing that you would feel whenever you’re eating too much fiber in a short amount of time. Excessive amount of fiber is commonly will cause the intestinal gas and bloating in your stomach. This bloating and intestinal gas would occurs because of the natual reaction of the bacteria in your digestive tract to the fiber. So, you need to consume fiber wisely to avoid yourself from bloating.
So, now you already know that the fiber is truly beneficial to your health. But, remember that you need to consume the fiber wisely and gradually so that you will get the full advantage of the fibers. So finally, stay healthy with fibers.