A nutrition expert has urged people to eat more of a certain type of food, claiming it can slash your risk of dying early by as much as 14%. According to the expert, adding more fibre to your diet can not only reduce your chances of a “premature” death but also help prevent heart disease, one of the biggest killers in the UK.

Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London and founder of Zoe Health, advised eating just an additional five grams of fibre a day for the health benefits. Fibre is a type of carbohydrate, found in plant-based foods, that the body cannot digest.

It passes through the digestive system mostly unchanged, playing a crucial role in your digestive health. Research has also found it could help maintain blood sugar levels, aid in weight management, and lower the risk of certain cancers like bowel cancer.

In a video uploaded to his Instagram, Prof Spector shared some of the impressive health benefits of fibre.

He said: “If you have five grams of extra fibre every day, that will reduce your risk of heart disease and early death by 14%.

“Fibres of these long strings of sugars that are really hard to break into their component parts. These reach the low part of our colon where our microbes feed on them and they can break them down and release all the nutrients and all the goodness from those fibres, which help our immune system and make our microbes flourish.

“Just an extra five grams can make such a really big difference to your health. It’s probably all the most important things we can all do so easily.”

However, in the video caption he warned that most of us aren’t eating enough fibre. He said: “Over 90% of people aren’t getting enough fibre.”

The NHS recommended amount is 30 grams a day, however, it estimates that the majority of Brits are only eating around 20 grams.

Foods rich in fibre include:

• Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, artichokes and peas
• Legumes such as lentils and chickpeas
• Fruits such as apples, avocados and raspberries
• Grains such as quinoa, oats and popcorn
• Nuts and seeds such as chia seeds and almonds.

One scientific study backed Prof Spector’s claims. The research, published in BMC Medicine journal in 2022, found a 14% risk reduction in early death for every additional 10 grams of fibre eaten.

It also showed a marked benefit for fibre consumption in patients with heart problems. Study authors wrote: “These findings emphasise the likely benefits of promoting greater dietary fibre intakes for patients with cardiovascular disease and hypertension.”

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A separate study, found in a 2016 publication of the Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases, came to a similar conclusion. It said: “Our findings suggest that high dietary fibre intake is associated with a reduced risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and all cancers.

“These results support the current recommendation that high dietary fibre intake should be part of a healthy diet.” To increase your fibre intake, the NHS recommends you:

• Choose a higher-fibre breakfast cereal such as plain wholewheat biscuits (like Weetabix) or plain shredded whole grain (like Shredded wheat), or porridge as oats are also a good source of fibre
• Go for wholemeal or granary breads, or higher fibre white bread, and choose wholegrains like wholewheat pasta, bulgur wheat or brown rice
• Go for potatoes with their skins on, such as a baked potato or boiled new potatoes
• Add pulses like beans, lentils or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads
• Include plenty of vegetables with meals, either as a side dish or added to sauces, stews or curries
• Have some fresh or dried fruit, or fruit canned in natural juice for dessert
• For snacks, try fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, rye crackers, oatcakes and unsalted nuts or seeds.