Think bran is bland? Get your fiber from flavorful sources like artichokes.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—High-fiber recipes have a reputation for being healthy, but did you know that a high fiber diet could be lifesaving?

Getting enough fiber in your diet has already been linked with weight loss and a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Now a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that a high-fiber diet can significantly decrease the risk of early death in general. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, analyzed the dietary questionnaires of about 400,000 individuals, calculating average fiber intake. They also looked at other relevant data like exercise levels, weight, and smoking. When the researchers followed up an average of nine years later, they found that people who consumed the most fiber were 22 percent less likely to have died from any cause during the follow-up period, when compared with participants who ate the least.

The researchers also investigated the relationship between dietary fiber intake and death from specific causes, and found that fiber also lowered the risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases by 24 percent to 56 percent in men, and by 34 percent to 59 percent in women. Conclusion: Eating more fiber may provide significant health benefits that translate to a longer life.

Yikyung Park, PhD, the lead researcher for the study, told us that the research reveals something new regarding fiber intake. Says Park, “Prior studies have focused on the relationship between fiber intake and cardiovascular disease, but few have examined the link between dietary fiber and mortality. Our analysis adds to the literature, and suggests dietary fiber intake is associated with decreased likelihood of death.”

How much fiber does it take? The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages consuming fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day, and recommends consuming 14 grams of dietary fiber daily. However, in the study, the group with the highest fiber intake exceeded those levels. The men consumed an average of 29 grams of fiber daily, and the women ate an average of 26 grams. That may sound like a lot, but a high-fiber diet is definitely doable, and you don't have to limit yourself to bran flakes.