Positive Health Online

Abstract

PIETINEN and colleagues, Department of Nutrition, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. Pirjo.Pietinen ktl.fi. studied the relationship between dietary fibre and coronary heart disease in Finnish men who participated in the now famous Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (where the beta-carotene group male smokers had higher rates of cancer). @m: The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled with daily supplementation of alpha-tocopherol and/or beta-carotene. 21,930 smoking men aged 5069 who were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease and who had completed a dietary questionnaire at baseline were followed for 6.1 years. The authors monitored the incidence of heart attack and coronary heart disease and death from coronary heart disease. @r: Both (incidence and death) had a significant inverse association with dietary fibre, but there was a stronger association with coronary death. The relative risk for coronary death for men in the highest quintile of total dietary fibre intake was 0.69 compared to men in the lowest quintile. Following adjustment for known cardiovascular risk factors, intake of saturated fatty acids, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E did not materially change the result. Water-soluble fibre was slightly more strongly associated with reduced coronary death than water-insoluble fibre and cereal fibre also had a stronger association than did vegetable or fruit fibre. @c: These data suggest that independent of other risk factors, greater intake of foods rich in fibre can substantially reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and in particular coronary death in middle-aged men who smoke.

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With smoking such a dangerous activity, there is really only one bit of advice DON'T SMOKE! @i:19