A nutrition expert has urged people to eat more of a certain type of food, claiming it can slash your risk of dying early by as much as 14%. According to the expert, adding more fibre to your diet can not only reduce your chances of a \u201cpremature\u201d death but also help prevent heart disease, one of the biggest killers in the UK.<\/p>\n
Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London and founder of Zoe Health, advised eating just an additional five grams of fibre a day for the health benefits. Fibre is a type of carbohydrate, found in plant-based foods, that the body cannot digest.<\/p>\n
It passes through the digestive system mostly unchanged, playing a crucial role in your digestive health. Research has also found it could help maintain blood sugar levels, aid in weight management, and lower the risk of certain cancers like bowel cancer.<\/p>\n
In a video uploaded to his Instagram<\/a>, Prof Spector shared some of the impressive health benefits of fibre.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIf you have five grams of extra fibre every day, that will reduce your risk of heart disease and early death by 14%.<\/p>\n \u201cFibres of these long strings of sugars that are really hard to break into their component parts. These reach the low part of our colon where our microbes feed on them and they can break them down and release all the nutrients and all the goodness from those fibres, which help our immune system and make our microbes flourish.<\/p>\n \u201cJust an extra five grams can make such a really big difference to your health. It’s probably all the most important things we can all do so easily.\u201d<\/p>\n However, in the video caption he warned that most of us aren\u2019t eating enough fibre. He said: \u201cOver 90% of people aren\u2019t getting enough fibre.\u201d<\/p>\n The NHS recommended amount is 30 grams a day, however, it estimates that the majority of Brits are only eating around 20 grams.<\/p>\n Foods rich in fibre include:<\/p>\n One scientific study backed Prof Spector\u2019s claims. The research, published in BMC Medicine journal<\/a> in 2022, found a 14% risk reduction in early death for every additional 10 grams of fibre eaten.<\/p>\n It also showed a marked benefit for fibre consumption in patients with heart problems. Study authors wrote: \u201cThese findings emphasise the likely benefits of promoting greater dietary fibre intakes for patients with cardiovascular disease and hypertension.\u201d<\/p>\n\n