Skip to main content

Eating Fiber Reduces The Risk Of Heart Disease

A new study shows eating dietary fiber specifically from fruits and cereals lowers the risk of heart disease. Previous research has suggested a connection between higher intake of fiber and lower risk of heart disease.

However, few studies have actually looked at the dietary fiber from different sources and the relationship to heart disease. In a recent study researchers analyzed several studies to determine whether the source of dietary fiber had any effect on the reduction in heart disease risk.

The research included information from 91,058 men and 245,186 women. Each study recorded what kind of foods and how much the participant ate.

Researchers say among the total participants, 5,249 suffered from heart disease and 2,011 died from coronary heart disease during the six- to 10-year follow-ups.

For each 10-gram increment of fiber consumed per day, study researchers found a 14-percent decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease.

They also found for each 10-gram increment of fiber consumed per day, there's a 27-percent decreased risk of dying from coronary heart disease.

Specifically, researchers found fiber from cereal and fruit seems to be more protective than fiber from vegetables.

Thus researchers say the recommendations to eat a diet that includes an abundance of fiber-rich foods to prevent coronary heart disease is based on a wealth of consistent scientific evidence.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is too much soy bad for men?

While soy may be beneficial to women in a variety of ways, research in monkeys suggests that it could have an adverse effect on the behavior of men, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Reporting in the current issue of the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior, the researchers found that in male monkeys, "long-term consumption of a diet rich in soy isoflavones can have marked influences on patterns of aggression and social behavior." Isoflavones are a naturally occurring plant estrogen in soy protein. "Although considerable attention has been directed at the potentially beneficial effects of isoflavones in reducing the risk of various cancers, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and postmenopausal symptoms, less effort has been invested in characterizing neurobehavioral effects," according to the study.

Smoking and Weight Gain

One of the common fears associated with giving up smoking is that it will lead to uncontrolled weight gain. While it is true that some people can gain 9 kilos during the first year of abstinence, other more encouraging studies have shown that initial gains tend to peak after six months and that many people return to their normal body weight within twelve months of quitting the habit. For those potential quitters who are not confident that they would be capable of such a feat, comfort can be sought in the finding that ex-smokers who take up regular physical exercise have a greater chance of controlling their weight than those who remain sedentary. American researchers investigating the post-smoking gains of some 9000 women discovered that getting active was key to their weight control over the two-year period following cessation. The 'light' smokers (24 or less cigarettes a day) investigated who undertook 1-2 hours of energetic physical activity each week were found to gai...

Mediterranean-Style Diet Reduces Cancer And Heart Disease Risk

People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil and fish have at least a 25 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease and cancer, researchers reported in a study being published today. For decades, scientists have had inklings that a diet that derives about 40 percent of its calories from healthy fat and about half from complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables, combined with daily exercise, could promote health and reduce premature death. But this is the first large trial of healthy men and women to demonstrate a significant reduction in death rates for heart disease, cancer and all other causes of mortality for those who follow a Mediterranean diet and are physically active.