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Here's good news for the more than 86 million U.S. adults with elevated lousy LDL cholesterol. You can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease -- or any other cause -- by upping your fiber intake.

A new study in Lipids in Health and Disease looked at around eight years of data on more than 1,700 adults. It showed that for every 10 grams of fiber a person with elevated lousy LDL cholesterol level added to their daily diet, their risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) fell by 23% and from all causes by 21%. And folks who ate a bit more than 18 grams of fiber a day reduced their risk of death from CVD by 62% and of death from all causes by 69% compared to folks who only ate around 11 grams of fiber daily. Those fiber-filled folks also had higher levels of healthy HDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure and a lower BMI.

FYI: Hyperlipidemia was defined in this study as LDL of 130 mg/dL or more and HDL of 50 mg/dL or less for women and 40 mg/dL or less for men.

So how do you get 10-18 grams of fiber a day? Easy! There are 10 grams of fiber in one medium avocado, 2/3 cup of black beans, 1 1/4 cup of fresh raspberries and two slices of 100% whole wheat bread. Eighteen grams comes from 1 cup of boiled lentils or a bit more than 1 cup of boiled split peas (great for soups!). For wonderful fiber recipes, there's my book, "The What to Eat When Cookbook."

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.

(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.