Women who consume high amounts of fiber in their diets, particularly in cereal, may be at lower risk for heart disease, according to a study in the June 2 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Gilbert Ross, M.D., medical director of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), lauds the new study for emphasizing the role of fiber in a balanced diet and for calling attention to the important problem of heart disease in women. Dr. Ross cautions, however, that fiber is not a panacea.

Among the 68,782 women aged 37 to 64 in the study, those who consumed the highest amounts of fiber (an average of 22.9 grams per day) had a 23 percent lower risk of developing heart disease or of suffering a heart attack than did those who consumed the lowest amounts of fiber (an average of 11.5 grams per day). Furthermore, this reduced risk was strongest when the fiber consumed was that found in breakfast cereals: There was a 37 percent lower risk of heart disease for each five-gram-per-day increase in cereal fiber intake.

Eating fiber is said to lower both total cholesterol levels and levels of low density lipoprotein (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) in the blood. The authors suggest that other, unknown mechanisms may also account for the new findings, however.

Says ACSH’s Dr. Ross, “Fiber is an important part of a well-rounded diet. The exact degree of benefit is still evolving, but we support a role for fiber as part of a healthy diet.” Dr. Ross also points out that these new study results have come in the wake of a recent study suggesting that fiber does not protect against colon cancer. “We will continue to encourage people to eat reasonable amounts of fiber, but the jury is still out on what type of fiber is most beneficial and which diseases it protects us from,” he says.

The American Dietetic Association’s current recommended daily intake of fiber is 20 to 35 grams per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Guide Pyramid — an outline of what to eat each day based on a variety of food groups — recommends that to get adequate fiber in the diet, an adult should eat 2 to 4 servings of fruit, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and 6 to 11 servings of cereal and grain foods each day.

To help boost fiber consumption, ACSH Director of Nutrition Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., suggests keeping a diet journal. That way, you can see just what you are eating each day and look for ways to increase your intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables — the three main sources of fiber.

“On another note,” says ACSH’s Dr. Ross, “it’s good to have a study involving women and heart disease, because the threat of heart disease is underappreciated by women, and even by healthcare professionals, in the United States. Many do not realize that heart disease is far and away the No. 1 killer of American women, far surpassing breast and lung cancer.”

More than 240,000 American women die from heart disease each year. By comparison, according to statistics from the American Heart Association, breast cancer kills 43,500 American women yearly.

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