Contact: Tim Gehret
843.792.2626
March 19, 2007
Charleston -- A physician at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and his colleagues have found that fiber can affect a major heart attack risk indicator called C-reactive protein (CRP). Results of the study, led by Dana King, MD, a family medicine physician with an interest in preventive cardiology, appeared in a recent issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The findings indicate that both a high-fiber diet and a fiber-supplemented diet significantly reduced baseline CRP levels over a three-week period.
"The study adds prospective trial data to the previous literature on dietary fiber and CRP," King told Heartwire, a Web MD publication. "The findings support current guidelines from the American Heart Association and other groups that promote adequate intake of fiber in the diet to promote good health. Clinicians should continue to counsel patients to eat foods high in fiber or take a supplement to reach their fiber-intake goals."
CRP is a plasma protein that rises in the blood with the inflammation from certain conditions. While LDL or ìbadî cholesterol levels have long been known to be associated with an increased risk of heart attack, more studies show the same is often true for elevated CRP levels. People whose CRP levels are in the upper third of the population have twice the risk of a heart attack than people with lower CRP levels.
The study is one of the first to specifically examine a cause-and-effect role for fiber and CRP level in a randomized fashion.
The study enrolled 28 women and seven men whose baseline fiber intake was approximately 12 g/day, measured over a three-week run-in period. The participants were then randomized to either the DASH high-fiber diet (nearly 28 g of fiber per day) or to a fiber supplement (psyllium) on top of their regular diet (totaling 27 g/day). After three weeks on one diet, participants crossed over to the other fiber diet.
On both diets, CRP levels dropped below baseline values, a statistically significant change in both groups. Researchers were surprised to find that changes in CRP levels were greater in lean, normotensive subjects than in obese, hypertensive subjects because previous studies predicted a different outcome.
They suggest future studies may show whether a longer intervention period or increases in fiber intake in obese subjects might have a greater impact on CRP levels. However, the researchers are optimistic about the potential benefits for cardiovascular risk.
King says that while there has been no cause-and-effect link proven between CRP and cardiovascular risk, if a link is more firmly established, dietary fiber may play a role in helping to reduce the cardiovascular risk attributable to CRP and inflammation, he says.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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