February 17/Boston/The Express -- A diet packed with wholegrain bread and cereals could be key to fighting a host of deadly illnesses like heart disease, cancer and infection.

Eating plenty of fiber-rich foods each day makes one less likely to die early, researchers in the U.S. have found.

Harvard School of Public Health's Frank Hu wrote of the research in an article in the Archives of Internal Medicine: "The results from this study suggest that fiber may have broader health benefits than what has been found before."

For this latest study, 400,000 members of the American Association of Retired People were tracked by a team from the National Cancer Institute.

Victoria Taylor of the British Heart Foundation, said,"This study helps to reinforce the message that dietary fiber can be helpful to your heart."

Nutritionist Angela Dowden said, "It's important to get your fiber from a varied and healthy diet, and it's getting whole grain foods rather than having fiber-fortified products that is important.

"But fiber intake is a marker for a healthier lifestyle, and it could be good lifestyle habits as a whole rather than just fiber intake by itself that is producing these beneficial effects."  

From the February 18, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News
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