UK Health Radio Medical News Update The Link Between Eating Fibre and Survival Rates after a Heart Attack

Thursday 1^st May 2014

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

The Link Between Eating Fibre and Survival Rates after a Heart Attack

Interesting news today that although we have always associated a diet high in fibre with protecting our gut, it now appears that if you have had a heart attack, according to researchers in the USA, eating plenty of fibre might improve your long-term chances of survival.

The British Medical Journal reported that heart-attack survivors were more likely to survive for longer if they followed a high-fibre diet.  In real terms it seems that each 10g increase per-day in fibre intake equates to a 15% drop in death risk during the study.  Experts also report that dietary fibre might also improve cholesterol and blood pressure.  To make sure that you get that vital extra fibre you can make a few changes like giving up white bread and eating wholegrain.  

 The average fibre intake for a British person is 14 grams.  The target is 18 grams although US experts do recommend up to 38 grams of fibre a day should be eaten.   Eating fruit, like bananas and apples, root vegetables, like carrots and potatoes, wholemeal bread, cereals and bran will all be good sources of dietary fibre.  As a guide, a jacket potato and baked beans will be about 10g of fibre and two slices of wholemeal bread is about 4grams of fibre.

Amanda Thomas for UK Health Radio kindly sponsored by 1-stop-health-shop.com