Certain types of fiber, like those in oats and apples, help your body control blood sugar and lower cholesterol by forming a gel in your gut and making healthy chemicals.

Certain types of thick, gooey fibers found in foods like oats and apples can help lower bad cholesterol by grabbing onto stuff in your gut and blocking cholesterol from getting into your blood, and studies show this really works.

Eating fiber helps control blood sugar by forming a gel that slows sugar absorption, making helpful acids that affect how your body uses sugar, and boosting hormones that make insulin work better.