(Circulation. 1997;95:2701-2704.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Fiber, Lipids, and Coronary Heart Disease
A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee, American Heart Association
Key Words: AHA Medical/Scientific Statements • diet • lipids • coronary disease
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Introduction |
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There is now overwhelming evidence that dietary factors influence risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) both favorably and unfavorably.1 2 3 4 The three most atherogenic dietary risk factors are saturated fat, cholesterol, and obesity.2 3 The Step I and Step II diets are recommended to address these problems and are aimed at reducing intake of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. On average, blood cholesterol levels can be reduced an estimated 5% to 15% through the Step I–Step II diet approach, with some hyperlipidemic patients experiencing even greater reductions. Increased carbohydrate intake, especially complex carbohydrates, is also recommended to replace the majority of calories lost through reduced fat intake. Choosing fiber-rich carbohydrate sources may foster additional cholesterol lowering and other nutritional benefits beyond those derived from fat modification alone. Inconsistent findings from studies on fiber and lipids have recently contributed to some confusion regarding fiber's potential benefits. Current evidence regarding this subject and limitations of the existing literature are briefly reviewed.
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What Is Dietary Fiber? |
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The Life Sciences Research Office of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology defines fiber as "the endogenous components of plant materials in the diet which are resistant to digestion by enzymes produced by humans."4 Simply put, dietary fiber, including cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin, and lignin, comes from the cell walls of plants plus other indigestible components of plants. Much of the difficulty in defining specific types of fiber is related to differences in analytical methodology used to quantify it.
Only as recently as the late 1970s was it recognized that fiber
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