Previous studies in the US and Europe have reported that dietary fiber may help protect against heart disease. Now a new Japanese study has found a similar association, suggesting that the cardiovascular benefits of fiber may extend beyond the Western diet.Ehab S. Eshak of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine and colleagues followed 23,119 Japanese men and 35,611 women over 14 years. Participants, ages 40-79, initially had no medical history of heart disease or strokes. They completed food questionnaires to assess their dietary intake of total fiber, soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Participants were divided into five groups based on total fiber consumption, which ranged from an average of 14 grams daily for the top group to 6.8 grams a day for the lowest group.The Daily Value for dietary fiber intake in the US is 25 grams, but most Americans get only about 14-15 grams daily-similar to the 14-gram daily average in Japan.Over the course of the Japanese study, 2,080 participants died from cardiovascular disease, including 422 from coronary heart disease and 983 from strokes. Those consuming the most total fiber were 18% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those in the lowest-fiber group.
| Soluble fibers dissolve in water. They can help prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into your body, and also slow down the rate at which your stomach empties, allowing more time to extract nutrients from food and making you feel full longer. Good sources of soluble fiber include fruits such as apples and citrus, peas, beans, carrots, flaxseed, psyllium, oats and barley.Insoluble fibers, which dont dissolve in water, combat constipation by promoting movement of food through your digestive system and increasing stool bulk. Good sources include vegetables, whole grains and nuts. |
When researchers looked specifically at deaths from coronary heart disease, however, the numbers were more striking-especially for soluble fiber from cereals and from fruit, as opposed to fiber from vegetables. Men who consumed the most insoluble fiber were at 52% lower risk and those eating the most soluble fiber were 29% less likely to die of coronary heart disease. For women, the comparable figures were 51% for insoluble fiber and 28% for soluble fiber.Our results constitute supporting evidence that higher intake of both insoluble and soluble fiber, especially fruit and cereal fibers, may contribute to the prevention of coronary heart disease in Japanese men and women, Eshak and colleagues concluded in the Journal of Nutrition. They cautioned, however, that this was an observational study and added, The apparent protective effect of fiber on risk of coronary heart disease may be due to other health-related habits, such as regular exercise, no smoking and a high fish intake by persons who consume greater amounts of dietary fiber.Given the other benefits of dietary fiber (see our February 2009 Special Report), though, the findings are yet another reason to make sure youre getting plenty of fiber from your food.TO LEARN MORE: Journal of Nutrition, August 2010; abstract atjn.nutrition.org/cgi/ content/abstract/140/8/1445.