Common Gastro Disease Occurs Even With High-Fiber Diet

FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a high-fiber diet does not lower a person's risk of diverticulosis, but a low-fiber diet might, according to a new study that contradicts what doctors have believed for decades.

Diverticulosis is a disease of the intestines in which pouches develop in the colon wall.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine analyzed data from more than 2,100 patients, aged 30 to 80, who underwent outpatient colonoscopy between 1998 and 2010. The patients were interviewed about their diet, bowel movements and level of physical activity.

Patients with the lowest fiber intake were 30 percent less likely to develop diverticulosis than those with the highest intake, according to the study published in the February issue of the journal Gastroenterology.  More...YAHOO NEWS

Women who eat lots of fiber have less breast cancer

A fresh look at the medical evidence shows women who eat more fiber are less likely to get breast cancer.
Chinese researchers found those who ate the most of the healthy plant components were 11 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least.
Their findings don't prove fiber itself lowers cancer risk, however, because women who consume a lot of it might be healthier overall than those who don't.
The results "can identify associations but cannot tell us what will happen if people change their behavior," said John Pierce, a cancer research at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the work.

While earlier research has yielded mixed conclusions on the link between cancer and fiber, it would make scientific sense: According to the Chinese researchers, people who eat high-fiber diets have lower levels of estrogen, which is a risk factor for breast tumors.  More....At Yahoo health

5 Life Tweaks That Will Make You Happier and Healthier

Eat an Apple...

New research from Pennsylvania State University found that people who ate an apple before lunch consumed nearly 190 fewer calories at the meal than those who'd taken in the same number of calories (125) in the form of applesauce, fiber-fortified apple juice, and plain apple juice. "All calories are not created equal," says Mark Hyman, MD, author of Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss. "A whole apple feels like more. It has more fiber and nutrients, and makes you feel full longer." The Penn State volunteers ate their apple about 15 minutes before lunch—and the authors suspect the effects might have been even more dramatic had they eaten the peel (which was removed), thanks to the extra fiber. Read More »
Sourced Yahoo Health