Eat more of these foods to reduce risk of ‘virtually every disease’

Most Brits don’t eat enough to lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and autoimmune conditions

A leading health expert has claimed there is a food group that lowers the risk of “virtually every disease”, which people across Britain are failing to eat enough of daily. Professor Tim Spector believes we should all be eating considerably more fibre.

Dietary fibre, more commonly referred to as roughage, is the indigestible component found in plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains and pulses. Passing through the stomach, small intestine and colon largely undigested, it is widely recognised for supporting digestion, gut health and regulating blood sugar levels.

Prof Spector, an epidemiologist and founder of ZOE Health, argued that increasing fibre intake could reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as your chances of developing cancer and autoimmune conditions. He spoke in detail about this on a recent episode of The Proof podcast, reports Chronicle Live.

Podcast host Simon Hill asked him: “Most people fall well short of the fibre recommendation. What’s your elevator pitch today? How do you make a case for fibre?”

Prof Spector claims that for every additional five grams of fibre eaten, you could potentially cut your risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 11%. He said: “Epidemiologically, it is the most solid data we’ve got. The more [fibre] you have, the lower your risk of virtually every disease that’s been measured.

“There doesn’t seem to be an upper limit, so that it seems to be incremental that for every five grams extra fibre you’re getting, you can reduce your early mortality from heart disease or strokes by somewhere between five and 11%, and that just keeps going up as you increase that dose.”

“You can get similar studies showing the same for cancer for mental health disease, autoimmune diseases. It seems to be really consistent and you don’t get that with any other macronutrients. Of all the things to focus on, I would say it is the most important.”

What does the research say?

A 2022 study published in BMC Medicine found that diets high in fibre reduced “all-cause mortality”. They were associated with lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood glucose concentrations.

The researchers said: “These findings emphasise the likely benefits of promoting greater dietary fibre intakes for patients with cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Further trials and cohort analyses in this area would increase confidence in these results.”

What does the NHS say?

The NHS website says that eating plenty of fibre is associated with a “lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer”. It also recommends that adults consume at least 30g of fibre each day, though most people currently achieve only around 20g.

For children, the recommended daily fibre target depends on their age. The breakdown shows:

• Children aged two to five should aim for approximately 15g of fibre
• Children aged five to 11 should aim for approximately 20g
• Teenagers aged 11 to 16 years should aim for approximately 25g

To boost your fibre intake, the NHS suggests that people could:

• Choose a higher-fibre breakfast cereal such as plain wholewheat biscuits (like Weetabix) or plain shredded whole grain (like Shredded Wheat), or porridge as oats are also a good source of fibre
• Go for wholemeal or granary breads, or higher-fibre white bread, and choose wholegrains like wholewheat pasta, bulgur wheat or brown rice
• Go for potatoes with their skins on, such as a baked potato or boiled new potatoes. Find out more about starchy foods and carbohydrates
• Add pulses like beans, lentils or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads
• Include plenty of vegetables with meals, either as a side dish or added to sauces, stews or curries. Find out more about how to get your 5 A Day
• Have some fresh or dried fruit, or fruit canned in natural juice for dessert. Because dried fruit is sticky, it can increase the risk of tooth decay, so it’s better if it is only eaten as part of a meal, rather than as a between-meal snack
• For snacks, try fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, rye crackers, oatcakes, and unsalted nuts or seeds