| Fiber and Brain Health
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| | by slowing down the time it takes food to
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| As we age, our bodies begin to
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| | leave the stomach and delaying the
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| deteriorate. No matter how well we take
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| | absorption of glucose (blood sugar) from
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| care of ourselves, we become slower, more
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| | a meal.
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| fragile, and our mental capacity suffers.
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| | Finally, because it helps to block the
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| The good news, however, is that a diet
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| | absorption of calories consumed and lead
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| rich in high-fiber foods may help support
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| | those calories out of the body, fiber
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| brain and bone health-two of the most
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| | actually eliminates calories from the
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| common concerns among elderly Americans.
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| | foods you eat. As a result, those who
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| More than 4.5 million Americans suffer
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| | consume a high-fiber diet tend to lose
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| from Alzheimer's disease, and every year
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| | weight and more effectively manage a
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| more than 350,000 new cases are diagnosed
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| | healthy body weight.
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| in the United States. While its affect on
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| | Fiber and Bone Health
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| memory and personality are profound,
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| | Can high-fiber foods keep your bones
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| Alzheimer's can also be deadly, resulting
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| | strong? When researchers turned their
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| in approximately 60,000 die deaths
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| | attention to the bone health of people
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| yearly.
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| | taking part in the long-term Framingham
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| By the middle of the twenty-first century
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| | Heart Study conducted in Massachusetts,
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| more than 13 million U.S. citizens are
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| | they found that those who ate the most
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| expected to have this irreversible brain
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| | fruits and vegetables also had the
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| disorder, but a high-fiber that includes
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| | strongest bones as they aged. According
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| plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes,
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| | to Associate Professor of Nutrition at
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| whole grains, nuts and seeds may be
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| | Tufts University Katherine L. Tucker PhD,
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| effective in lowering your risk of
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| | "this provides yet another reason to
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| developing Alzheimer's as you age.
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| | emphasize the intake of fruits and
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| Swedish scientists have established that
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| | vegetables."
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| people who effectively control their
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| | Although the healthy bone benefits of
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| weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure
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| | high-fiber fruits and vegetables may be
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| can significantly decrease the risk of
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| | linked to the beneficial amounts of
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| suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's
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| | potassium and magnesium that they
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| disease, and that's where high-fiber
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| | contain, researchers cannot rule out
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| foods come in. In addition to regulating
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| | other factors, such as fiber, as an aid
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| blood pressure, fiber helps to lower LDL
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| | to bone strength.
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| (bad) cholesterol levels while raising
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| | An important discovery in the study was
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| the protective HDL (good) cholesterol
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| | that people who ate large amounts of
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| levels.
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| | processed foods (that are low in fiber
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| As a calorie-free weight loss tool, fiber
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| | and minerals) had weaker bones. Eating a
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| helps manage hunger by stimulating the
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| | low-fiber diet also makes you more likely
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| release of cholecystokinin (CCK), a
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| | to be among the nearly 30 million
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| hormone that sends a message to your
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| | Americans who suffer from osteoporosis, a
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| brain that you are full. It also promotes
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| | degenerative bone disease that often
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| and prolongs the elevation of CCK in the
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| | occurs in middle age. Osteoporosis can
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| blood, which makes you feel full for
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| | often lead to debilitating hip fractures,
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| longer periods of time. High-fiber foods
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| | which in many cases cause disability and
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| also help normalize blood glucose levels
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| | an overall deterioration of health.
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