Wish you didn't get so winded when hiking up the stairs? Then start your day with oats. Or bran. Or anything high in fiber.

It may not give you the lung capacity of Michael Phelps, but it could help you breathe easier. New research shows that dietary fiber may give lungs a leg up.

Breathe Easier
In a study, people who ate at least 27 grams of fiber per day had better lung capacity than people who got less than 10 grams. The high-fiber eaters were also 15 percent less likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an irreversible lung condition that makes it hard to breathe. Fiber may protect lungs by reducing tissue-damaging inflammation. The antioxidants in fiber probably help protect lung cells, too. Are you getting enough fiber? Find out with this nutritional quiz.

Fiber: Wonder Food?
What else is fiber good for? Plenty:

• Your waistline. Want to lose a few before the New Year? Fiber helps fill you up, so you munch less. Here's the best time to eat fiber to lose weight.
• Your blood pressure. When your blood pressure creeps up, knock it back down with extra fiber. Find out how many points fiber can drop your blood pressure.
• Your bowels. It's no secret: Fiber helps keep you regular. Here's a low-fiber snack that also helps.

Video: Watch this video for clever ways to get more fiber into your diet.

Dietary fiber, lung function, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. Kan, H., et al., American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 Mar 1;167(5):570-578.