by Robert Preidt
Health reporter
Fat Loss Protein Intake - Higher Fiber Intake May Improve Lung Function
Thursday, (health news) - Eating a rich fiber diet can help protect you against pulmonary disease, a new study suggests.
"Pulmonary disease is an important public health problem, so it is important to identify modifiable risk factors for prevention," Author of the Study Corrine Hanson, Associate Medical Nutrition Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center , said in a magazine news statement.
"However, in addition to smoking very few preventive strategies have been identified. Increasing fiber intake can be a practical and effective way for people to have an impact on the risk of lung disease," she added.
The discoveries were recently published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
The researchers analyzed the federal government data of almost 2,000 American adults. They were between 40 and 79 years old.
The researchers found that 68% of those who had the highest fiber consumption (about 18 grams or more daily) had a normal pulmonary function compared to 50% for those with the smallest ingestion of fibers. And only 15% of those who ate a lot of fiber had a restriction of airways, but 30% of those with the lowest fiber consumption, the study showed.
People with the highest fiber consumption have also done better in two important breathing tests. They had greater pulmonary capacity and could exhale more air in one second, the study said.
Although the study has found a link between fiber consumption and better pulmonary health, it is not designed to prove a cause - and -effect relation.
But if the findings are confirmed in future studies, public health campaigns can one day "target diet and fibers as safe and cheap forms of preventing pulmonary disease," Hanson said. The previous survey suggested that a high fiber diet protects against heart disease and diabetes, and that fiber reduces inflammation in the body, the researchers said.
