Most U.S. Adults Do Not Eat Enough Dietary Fiber

MONDAY, June 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Few U.S. adults regularly eat enough dietary fiber, according to a study presented during Nutrition 2021, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, held virtually from June 7 to 10.

Derek Miketinas, Ph.D., from Texas Woman’s University in Houston, and colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (cycles 2013 to 2018) to estimate U.S. adults’ usual dietary fiber intake (14,640 individuals). Dietary fiber intake was compared for adults with and without diabetes.

The researchers found that 17.4 percent and 26.4 percent of respondents had diabetes or prediabetes, respectively. Only 7.4 percent of U.S. adults met the adequate intake for fiber (14 g/1,000 kcal). Overall, the usual intake of total dietary fiber was significantly higher among women than men (9.9 versus 8.7 g/1,000 kcal). Dietary fiber intake was also higher among adults with diabetes than participants without diabetes (men: 8.6 percent with diabetes versus 4.3 percent without diabetes; women: 11.5 percent with diabetes versus 8.0 percent without diabetes).

“The results of this study can be used to identify relationships between dietary fiber intake and outcomes of interest like risk factors for heart disease,” Miketinas said in a statement. “In fact, our preliminary analysis suggests that higher dietary fiber intake in adults with diabetes is strongly associated with reductions in markers for heart and kidney disease.”

Abstract No. P23-042-21

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