A High Fiber Diet Might Reduce Your Dementia Risk

There are many different factors that can contribute to an individual’s dementia risk.  You may have a genetic predisposition, but there are several other known factors that aren’t out of your control. As a result, you can make certain lifestyle changes to help to reduce the chances, delay its onset or slow its progress.  There is still a great deal science has yet to learn, but it can benefit us all to do what we can to take care of our minds.

Your Fiber Intake and Dementia Risk

We all know that we’re supposed to eat enough fiber.  There are the obvious reasons, such as avoiding constipation. However, there are also less obvious benefits such as reducing cholesterol and preventing heart disease.  That said, on top of what had previously been known about a high fiber diet, new research is now indicating that it can help to reduce your dementia risk over time.

This doesn’t mean that eating one high fiber meal every now and again will stop you from developing a condition such as Alzheimer’s Disease.  However, it may be that by regularly consuming an appropriate amount of fiber will not only keep you regular but will also help to lower your dementia risk overall.

What Did the Research Say?

The recently released research was published in the Nutritional Neuroscience journal. It examined whether the amount of dietary fiber a person consumed had an impact on a person’s dementia risk. It involved the participation of more than 3,739 healthy adults in Japan between the ages of 40 and 64 years old.  It started in 1985 and those participants completed dietary habit surveys from then through 1999. Clearly, this was no small and short-term study!

In fact, from that time, the researchers followed up with the study participants from 1999 through until 2020.  The data they collected was divided into four groups based on the amount of fiber regularly consumed. The researchers also examined any differences between the results of participants who consumed more soluble fiber when compared to those who ate more insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber has been associated with overall gut health. It is found in legumes such as beans and peas, as well as oats.  Insoluble fiber is associated with healthy bowel function and is found in veggies and whole grains.

Regularly Eating Lots of Fiber May Reduce Dementia Risk

The researchers in the study found that of all the participants, there were 670 cases of disabling dementia. However, among the adults whose diets had higher fiber consumption, there was also the lowest dementia risk. Furthermore, there appeared to be a greater benefit among those who ate more soluble fiber when compared to insoluble fiber.