Fiber content of Diet More Important then meat and fat?

[Joe & Anne Lewis]

A recent study done at Harvard Medical School showed that fiber intake,
independent of the other components of the diet is the most important
determinant of risk for myocardial infarction and sudden death due to
coronary artery disease. This recent study at Harvard University  of 43,000
males followed for six years, showed that increasing fiber intake to 30
grams a day decreased risk of myocardial infarction 41% in the study
population.

Reference;
Rimm EB, Ascherio A, Giovannucci E, Spiegelman D, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC
Vegetable, fruit, and cereal fiber intake and risk of coronary heart
disease among Men  Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public
Health, Boston, Mass. 02115, USA.   JAMA 1996 Feb 14;275(6):447-51 .

A review of the literature shows that many studies demonstrate the
cholesterol and LDL lowering effects of that oat bran,  oat fiber and
barley fiber.
Other studies showed very good reductions of cholesterol and LDL with guar
gum and pectin.  Second, several studies show dietary fiber lowers the
incidence of coronary artery disease.  These studies analyzed fiber intake,
and subjects were advised to change no other variables in their diet, i.e.
meat, or fat intake.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT and one with Far Reaching
Public Health Effects. If people can increase their fiber intake and lower
their risk of heart disease without giving up the foods they love, many
lives would be saved !! In a nation such as ours with a virtual epidemic of
heart disease where heart disease is the  *"number one cause of death of
adults"* this is tremendous news which should be shouted from every
rooftop, if true !!

*According to the American Heart Association

References for this discussion are available please contact me.
Sincerely,

Joe Lewis
e-mail me at lewis at lava.net

P.S.
How does Fiber lower Cholesterol ?
Studies suggest that fiber decreases the absorption of dietary cholesterol
through it's effect on the entero-hepatic circulation of cholesterol and
bile salts.  Fiber is believed to bind dietary cholesterol and bile salts
in the intestine into a chemical bundle that stays in the intestine and is
eliminated with the stools. This lowers dietary cholesterol absorption.
The liver then uses serum cholesterol to make bile acids to replace the
bile acids lost in the dietary cholesterol-bile acids-fiber bundle. Thus
serum cholesterol is reduced. Other substances like guar gum and pectin
also decrease bile salt reabsorption, and are believed to create a mucousal
barrier that prevents the absorption of dietary cholesterol. Thus they
lower serum cholesterol in a similar but slightly different manner. Fiber
supplements made up of various fibers are available on the market today.