Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T16:03:24.320Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Dietary fibre, nuts and cardiovascular diseases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2007

Jordi Salas-Salvadó*
Affiliation:
Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut de Reus, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
Mónica Bulló
Affiliation:
Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut de Reus, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
Ana Pérez-Heras
Affiliation:
Unitat de Lípids, Sevei d'Endocrinologia i Nutrició, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
Emilio Ros
Affiliation:
Unitat de Lípids, Sevei d'Endocrinologia i Nutrició, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: Jordi Salas-Salvadó, fax +34 977759322, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Dietary fibre has a range of metabolic health benefits. Through a variety of mechanisms, dietary fibre, and the viscous variety in particular, slows down gastric emptying and intestinal transit, decreases the rate of intestinal carbohydrate absorption, and increases faecal bile acid excretion. Therefore, consumption of some types of soluble fibre can enhance satiety, which is associated with a lower BMI, and reduce blood cholesterol and the postprandial glucose response. Surprisingly, the consumption of insoluble fibre from whole grains, though metabolically inert, has been associated with a reduction in the risk of developing coronary heart disease and diabetes in epidemiological studies. The likely reason is that whole grains, like nuts, legumes and other edible seeds, contain many bioactive phytochemicals and various antioxidants. After cereals, nuts are the vegetable foods that are richest in fibre, which may partly explain their benefit on the lipid profile and cardiovascular health.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2006

References

Alfieri, MAH, Pomerleau, J, Grace, DM & Anderson, L (1995) Fiber intake of normal weight, moderately obese and severely obese subjects. Obes Res 3, 541547.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, JW, Allgood, LD, Lawrence, A, Altringer, LA, Jerdack, GR, Hengehold, DA & Morel, JG (2000) Cholesterol-lowering effect of psyllium intake adjunctive to diet therapy in men and women with hypercholesterolemia: meta-analysis of 8 controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 71, 472479.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arija, V, Salas-Salvadó, J, Fernández, Ballart J, Cucó, G & Martí-Henneberg, C (1996) Consumo, hábitos alimentarios y estado nutricional de la población de Reus (VIII). Evolución de la ingestión de energía y nutrientes entre 1983 y 1993. Med Clin (Barc) 106, 4550.Google Scholar
Bell, EA & Rolls, BJ (2001) Energy density of foods affects energy intake across multiple levels of fat content in lean and obese women. Am J Clin Nutr 73, 10101018.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bingham, SA, Day, NE, Luben, R et al. (2003) Dietary fibre in food and protection against colorectal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC): an observational study. Lancet 361, 14961501.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bourdon, I, Yokoyama, W, Davis, P, Hudson, C, Backus, R, Richter, D, Knuckles, B & Scheeman, BO (1999) Postprandial lipid, glucose, insulin, and cholecystokinin responses in men fed barley pasta enriched with beta-glucan. Am J Clin Nutr 69, 5563.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, L, Rosner, B, Willet, WW & Sacks, FM (1999) Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 69, 3042.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burkitt, DP, Walker, ARP & Painter, NS (1974) Dietary fiber and disease. JAMA 229, 10681074.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burr, ML, Fehily, AM, Gilbert, JF, Rogers, S, Holliday, RM, Sweetnam, PM, Elwood, PC & Deadman, NM (1989) Effects of changes in fat, fish, and fibre intakes on death and myocardial reinfarction: diet and reinfarction trial (DART). Lancet 2, 757761.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chandalia, M, Garg, A, Lutjohann, D, von Bergmann, K, Grundy, SM & Brinkley, LJ (2000) Beneficial effects of high dietary fiber intake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. New Engl J Med 342, 13921398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2002) Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients), In: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309085373/html.Google Scholar
Garcia-Lorda, P, Megias, Rangil I & Salas-Salvado, J (2003) Nut consumption, body weight and insulin resistance. Eur J Clin Nutr 57, S8S11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griel, AE & Kris-Etherton, PM (2006) Tree Nuts and the Lipid Profile: A Review of Clinical Studies. Br J Nutr 96 Suppl. 2S68S78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holland, B, Welch, AA, Unwin, ID, Buss, DH, Paul, AA & Southgate, DAT (1991) Mc'Cance and Widdowson' The Composition of Foods 5th ed.Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.Google Scholar
Howarth, NC, Saltzman, E & Roberts, SB (2001) Dietary fiber and weight regulation. Nutr Rev 59, 129139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, FB (2003) Plant-based foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr 78 Suppl., 544S551S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, FB & Willett, WC (2002) Optimal diets for prevention of coronary heart disease. JAMA 288, 25692578.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jenkins, DJ, Goff, DV, Leeds, AR, Alberti, KG, Wolever, TM, Gassull, MA & Hockaday, TD (1976) Unabsorbable carbohydrates and diabetes: decreased post-prandial hyperglycaemia. Lancet 2, 172174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jenkins, DJ, Kendall, CW, Marchie, A et al. (2003) Effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods vs lovastatin on serum lipids and C-reactive protein. JAMA 290, 502510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jenkins, DJ, Wolever, TM, Rao, AV et al. (1993) Effect on blood lipids of very high intakes of fiber in diets low saturated fat and cholesterol. N Engl J Med 239, 2126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenkins, DJA, Kendall, CWC, Axelsen, M, Augustin, LSA & Vuksan, V (2000) Viscous and nonviscous fibres, nonabsorbable and low glycaemic index carbohydrates, blood lipids and coronary heart disease. Curr Opin Lipidol 11, 4956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelly, JH & Sabaté, J (2006) Nuts and Coronary Heart Disease: an epidemiological perspective. Br J Nutr 96, S61S67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kris-Etherton, PM, Yu-Poth, S, Sabate, J, Ratcliffe, HE, Zhao, G & Etherton, TD (1999) Nuts and their bioactive constituents: effects on serum lipids and other factors that affect disease risk. Am J Clin Nutr 70, 504S511S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kris-Etherton, PM, Zhao, G, Binkoski, AE, Coval, SM & Etherton, TD (2001) The effects of nuts on coronary heart disease risk. Nutr Rev 59, 103111.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liu, S, Buring, JE, Sesso, HD, Rimm, EB, Willett, WC & Manson, JE (2002) A prospective study of dietary fiber intake and risk of cardiovascular disease among women. J Am Coll Cardiol 39, 4956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lopez-Ridaura, R, Willett, WC, Rimm, EB, Liu, S, Stampfer, MJ, Manson, JE & Hu, FB (2004) Magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Diabetes Care 27, 134140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ludwig, DSPereira, MAKroenke, CHHilner, JEVan Horn, LSlattery, MLJacobs, DR Jr (1999) Dietary fiber, weight gain, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in young adults. JAMA 282, 15391546.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lupton, JR & Turner, ND (2003) Dietary fiber and coronary disease: does the evidence support an association?. Curr Atheroscler Rep 5, 500505.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marlett, JA (1992) Content and composition of dietary fiber in 117 frequently consumed foods. J Am Diet Assoc 92, 175186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyer, KA, Kushi, LH, Jacobs, DR & Folsom, AR (2001) Dietary fat and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in older Iowa women. Diabetes Care 24, 15281535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milner, JA, Craig, L. eds. (2000) Physiologically active food components: their role in optimizing health and aging. Am J Clin Nutr 71 Suppl., 1653S1743S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montonen, J, Knekt, P, Järvinen, R, Aromaa, A & Reunanen, A (2003) Whole-grain and fiber intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr 77, 622629.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mukuddem-Petersen, J, Oosthuizen, W & Jerling, JC (2005) A systematic review of the effects of nuts on blood lipid profiles in humans. J Nutr 135, 20822089.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newby, PK, Tucker, KL & Wolk, A (2005) Risk of overweight and obesity among semivegetarian, lactovegetarian, and vegan women. Am J Clin Nutr 81, 6, 12671274.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parks, EJ & Hellerstein, MK (2000) Carbohydrate-induced hypertriacylglycerolemia: historical perspective and review of biological mechanisms. Am J Clin Nutr 7, 412433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pereira, MA, O'Reilly, E, Augustsson, K et al. (2004) Dietary fiber and risk of coronary heart disease. Arch Intern Med 164, 370376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Potter, JG, Coffman, KP, Reid, RL, Krall, JM & Albrink, MJ (1981) Effect of test meals of varying dietary fiber content on plasma insulin and glucose response. Am J Clin Nutr 34, 328334.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rajaram, S & Sabaté, J (2006) Nuts, Body Weight, and Insulin Resistance. Br J Nutr 96 Suppl. 2, S79S86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reaven, GM (1997) Do high-carbohydrate diets prevent the development or attenuate the manifestations (or both) of syndrome X? A viewpoint strongly against. Curr Opin Lipidol 8, 2327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rimm, EB, Ascherio, A, Giovannucci, E, Spiegelman, D, Stampfer, MJ & Willett, WC (1996) Vegetable, fruit and cereal fiber intake and coronary heart disease among men. JAMA 275, 447451.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberfroid, MB & Delzenne, NM (1998) Dietary fructans. Annu Rev Nutr 18, 117143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ros, E (2003 a) Dietary cis-monounsaturated fatty acids and metabolic control in type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr 78, 617S625S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ros, E (2003 b) Prebiotics and probiotics in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Gastroenterol Hepatol 26 Suppl. 13136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryttig, KR, Tellnes, G, Haegh, L, Boe, E & Fagerthun, H (1989) A dietary fibre supplement and weight maintenance after weight reduction: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled long-term trial. Int J Obes 13, 165171.Google ScholarPubMed
Sacks, FM, Castelli, WP, Donner, A & Kass, EH (1975) Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in vegetarians and controls. N Eng J Med 292, 11481151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salmeron, J, Manson, JE, Stampfer, MJ, Colditz, GA, Wing, AL & Willett, WC (1997) Dietary fiber, glycemic load, and risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in women. JAMA 277, 472477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steffen, LM, Jacobs, DR Jr, Murtaugh, MA, Moran, A, Steinberger, J, Hong, CP & Sinaiko, AR (2003) Whole grain intake is associated with lower body mass and greater insulin sensitivity among adolescents. Am J Epidemiol 158, 243250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
St-Onge, MP (2005) Dietary fats, teas, dairy, and nuts: potential functional foods for weight control?. Am J Clin Nutr 81, 715.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsai, CJ, Leitzmann, MF, Hu, FB, Willett, WC & Giovannucci, EL (2004) Frequent nut consumption and decreased risk of cholecystectomy in women. Am J Clin Nutr 80, 7681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 1984. Composition of foods: Nut and seed products; raw, processed, prepared. Agriculture Handbook 8–12.Google Scholar
Walsh, DE, Yaghoubian, V & Behforooz, A (1984) Effect of glucomannan on obese patients: a clinical study. Int J Obes 8, 289293.Google ScholarPubMed
Wolever, TM, Jenkins, DJA, Vuksan, V, Jenkins, AL, Wong, GS & Josse, GS (1992) Beneficial effect of low-glycemic index diet in overweight NIDDM subjects. Diabetes Care 15, 562564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Würsch, P & Pi-Sunyer, FX (1997) The role of viscous soluble fiber in the metabolic control of diabetes. Diabetes Care 20, 17741780.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed