Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recent research found that a fibre - rich diet improves our gut health resulting in better weight control.
In the report, scientists from the University of Massachusetts Medical School gathered 240 people who were at high risk of developing diabetes.
The group was split up with the first put on the American Heart Association (AHA) diet, a nutrition plan focused on reducing calorie intake.
The second group was placed on a high fibre diet where their food intake consisted highly in fruits, veggies and whole grains meeting 30 grams of fibre a day. Their regular exercise habits were not changed.
In the space of a year, all 240 people lost the same amount of weight. Their cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and inflammation levels also dropped.
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"By changing one thing, people in the fibre group were able to improve their diet and lose weight and improve their overall markers for metabolic syndrome," says study author Dr. Yunsheng Ma.
"I think we have to change the paradigm about recommendations. Telling people to reduce this or reduce that is just too hard to do."
Heart condition continues to be a major cause of death in Australia with one Australian dying every 12 minutes. If you're looking to increase your intake of fibre, whole grains might be the answer.
