High fiber diet - 5 Reasons you must have it!

Most people associate fiber to be good for the digestive system, as it adds roughage and therefore helps in avoiding constipation. When we dig deeper, the fiber seems to do good not just to the stomach, but to the heart as well. Those who are prone to develop heart diseases should make an attempt to include more fiber in their diet and reap the rich benefits it offers.

Maxcure Hospitals

Multi-Speciality Clinic

Cardiologist, Hyderabad  •  7 years experience

There are two classifications of fibers

1. Dietary
2. Functional 

Dietary is found in diet products and functional is added fiber through various food supplements. Soluble and insoluble fiber, based on their solubility in water. Most foods contain some amounts of both. The insoluble one has more digestive benefits, as it adds to the roughage and both types have cardiac benefits.

Read on to know some of the cardiac benefits of fibers.

1. Reduces cholesterol: There is good cholesterol which is essential for the body, and there is bad cholesterol that causes heart disease. Fibers reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in circulation, as it can bind to the cholesterol, in order to, remove it from the body, which otherwise would get into circulation and lead to plaque formation and heart diseases.
2. Reduces blood pressure: Because the cholesterol does not circulate in the bloodstream, the blood is not as vicious and therefore the vessels do not have to exert much pressure and allows free flow. A diet changed to whole grains can show a marked difference in people withhypertension.
3. Weight management: Eating fiber means more bulk and fewer calories so that a person feels full after eating smaller amounts. This is a great way to lose weight and bring pre-existing heart disease under control.
4. Stroke prevention: The circulating cholesterol usually gets sluggish and settles down along the walls of the blood vessels. This attracts more cholesterol, which eventually forms, what is knowns as plaque. When this plaque attains a considerable size, it gets dislodged, circulates in the bloodstream, and can reach any of the vital organs. When it reaches the heart or brain, it can lead to heart attack or stroke. By removing the cholesterol which leads to all these complications, fiber reduces the incidence of stroke and heart attacks.
5. Management of diabetes: Blood pressure, increased weight and heart diseases all are predisposing factors and have common contributing factors as does diabetes. Controlling all these helps in prolonging the onset of diabetes and reducing its severity too.

High-fiber diet mainly reduces cholesterol which helps in multiple ways to maintain not just a healthy body but also improves the overall quality of life.