Review Finds Benefit of Fiber Intake for Cardiovascular Health

by | Mar 6, 2013 | 2013, Cardiovascular Health, Fiber, Stroke

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. This review article of 6 large studies found a 12% reduced risk of stroke for each 10 gram increase per day of total dietary fiber intake.

In the United States, the direct and indirect cost of stroke for 2010 is $73.7 billion (1) while the cost of stroke across Europe reaches 27 billion euros (2). Of all the risk factors for stroke (3), the most significant is high blood pressure (4) which currently affects 1 in 3 Americans (68 million people). It was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death for about 348,000 Americans in 2008, and costs our healthcare system $131 billion annually in direct medical expenses and $25 billion in lost productivity each year (5).

Beyond blood vessel health, having risk factors for stroke such as a high blood pressure also affect brain health, with each 10 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure increasing the risk of cognitive decline by 4% (6). Now a new study review (7) suggests that fiber intake may have a direct effect on lowering the risk of stroke.

In the review, researchers analyzed 6 independent prospective studies published between 1998 and 2012 of 8,920 strokes among 314,864 subjects. The longest of the studies was the Ohio Nurse’s Health Study published in 2005 (8), lasting 18 years, consisting of 78,779 women between and ages of 30 and 55 which found a 17% reduced risk of stroke for those consuming >21 grams of fiber per day compared to those consuming less than 10 grams per day (p = 0.07).  While the Ohio Nurse’s Health Study was also the largest study analyzed, the next largest was the Health Professionals Follow Up Study from 1998 (9) which included 43,738 men between the ages of 40 and 75 years of age and found a 30% reduced risk of stroke for those consuming >28.9 grams of fiber per day compared to those consuming less than 12.4 grams of fiber per day (p = 0.028).

Finally, the researchers graded the quality of the studies based on The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (10).  While both the Ohio Nurse’s Health Study and Health Professionals Follow Up Study ranked 6 out of 9 on the scale, the highest rated study was the Swedish population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort ((rated 8 out of 9 on The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) (11). This 2012 study consisted of 8139 men and 12 535 women between the ages of 44 and 73 years of age, lasted 13.5 years and found a 31% reduced risk of stroke in men consuming >11.4 grams of fiber per day compared to those consuming 5.8 grams of fiber per day and a 27% reduced risk of stroke in women consuming >2.9 grams of fiber per day compared to those consuming less than 6.5 grams of fiber per day (p < 0.001).

Overall, all 6 studies found a 12% reduced risk of stroke for each 10-gram increase per day increment of total dietary fiber intake and led the researchers to conclude that “our findings indicate a significant inverse dose response relationship between intake of dietary fiber and stroke risk.”

Source: Chen, G. C., et al. “Dietary fiber intake and stroke risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.” European journal of clinical nutrition 67.1 (2013): 96-100.

© 2012, Rights Managed by Nature Publishing Group 

Posted March 6, 2013.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. Lloyd-Jones D, Adams RJ, Brown TM, Carnethon M, Dai S, De Simone G et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics–2010 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2010; 121: e46–e215.
  2. Di Carlo A. Human and economic burden of stroke. Age Ageing 2009; 38: 4–5.
  3. “Stroke Risk Factors and Symptoms” posted on the National Institutes of Health Website.
  4. Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Colditz GA, Rosner B, Willett WC et al. A prospective study of nutritional factors and hypertension among US men. Circulation 1992; 86: 1475–1484.
  5. “High Blood Pressure Facts” posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
  6. “NIH study finds stroke risk factors may lead to cognitive problems” released by the National Institutes of Health November 7, 2011.
  7. Chen GC.  Dietary fiber intake and stroke risk: a meta analysis of prospective cohort studies.  Eur J Clin Nutr 2013 Jan;67(1):96-100. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2012.158.
  8. Oh K, Hu FB, Cho E, Rexrode KM, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE et al. Carbohydrate intake, glycemic index, glycemic load, and dietary fiber in relation to risk of stroke in women. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161: 161–169.
  9. Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Hernan MA, Giovannucci EL, Kawachi I, Stampfer MJ et al. Intake of potassium, magnesium, calcium and fiber and risk of stroke among US men. Circulation 1998; 98: 1198–1204.
  10. Wells GA, Shea B, O’Connell D, Peterson J, Welch V, Losos M et al. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of nonrandomised studies in meta analyses.
  11. Wallstrom P, Sonestedt E, Hlebowicz J, Ericson U, Drake I, Persson M et al. Dietary fiber and saturated fat intake associations with cardiovascular disease differ by sex in the Malmo Diet and Cancer Cohort: a prospective study. PLoS One 2012; 7: e31637.