Dietary fibre from cereals and the incidence of coronary heart disease

Abstract

Three hundred and thirty-seven healthy middle-aged men-representative samples of London bus-drivers and conductors and staff of the big banks-carried out a one week’s individual weighed dietary survey during the years 1956-1966; and, between 1956 and 1976, 45 of them developed clinical coronary heart disease. Men in the upper third of the distribution of cereal-fibre intake developed fewer cases than the rest, and this ‘effect’ was independent of energy intake and other dietary factors, and of age, occupation, smoking. The relationship was strongest tn the first five years of observation, but still evident afterwards. There was no association between intake of dietary fibre from fruit, potatoes, other vegetables, pulses or nuts and the incidence of CHD (and none with sugar intake). Serum cholesterol and blood-pressure levels, body mass and skinfold thickness, did not vary with intake of cereal fibre.