The Basics: What is Dietary Fiber?
Let’s talk about something we often hear about but may not fully understand: dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is a part of plant foods that our bodies can’t digest.
It’s found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Eating more fiber can help our digestion, weight, heart health, and according to a new study, even migraines!
The Study: How Fiber Might Help with Migraines
In a recent study by scientists from Jinan University in Guangzhou, they found a link between the amount of dietary fiber a person eats and the occurrence of migraines.
A migraine is a severe headache that can cause intense throbbing or pulsing in one part of the head.
The scientists used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which took place between 1999 to 2004.
Findings: Fiber Can Lower the Risk of Migraines
The results of this study were quite surprising. It showed that people who ate less fiber had a higher chance of suffering from migraines.
For every additional 10 grams of dietary fiber a person ate each day, the risk of getting a severe headache or migraine decreased by 11%.
However, this wasn’t the case for everyone. Mexican Americans, people of other races, or those with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 kg/m² didn’t show the same relationship between fiber intake and migraines.
The Conclusion: Need More Fiber?
This is the first study to look at the connection between dietary fiber and severe headaches or migraines.
So, it might be a good idea to eat more fiber-rich foods to protect ourselves from severe headaches or migraines. But remember, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
If you’re interested in health topics, you might want to look into studies about the link between vitamin K deficiency and hip fractures in older people.
Or, you might want to learn how some vitamins could help reduce the risk of bone fractures.
For information about wellness, check out recent studies about how krill oil could improve muscle health in older people, and how Jarlsberg cheese could help prevent bone-thinning disease.
The study was conducted by Hao Huang and Kaiyin He and was published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
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