Dietary fibre could reduce inflammation, CVD

[Jacob]

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Dietary fibre could reduce inflammation, CVD

07/04/2006- People who eat a diet high in fibre have significantly lower levels of a protein that is associated with inflammation, diabetes and heart disease, say scientists, giving yet more support for high-fibre diets.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced in the liver and is a known marker for inflammation. Increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, projected to increase to 26 million by 2030. CVD causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated 169 billion ($202 billion) per year.

The prospective observational study, Seasonal Variation of Blood Cholesterol Levels Study (SEASONS), used 24-hour dietary recalls to measure usual intake of carbohydrate, protein, fat and fibre. Over 500 participants with an average age of 48, took part in the year-long study.

The likelihood of elevated CRP concentrations was 63 per cent lower in participants in the highest quartile of total fibre intake than in participants in the lowest quartile, reported lead author Yunsheng Ma from the University of Massachusetts.

Insoluble fibre intake was associated with a 68 per cent reduction in CRP levels, while soluble fibre was linked to a 42 per cent reduction.

This study suggests that a diet high in fibre may play a role in reducing inflammation and, thus, the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Our results support the current dietary guideline, which recommend 20 to 35 grams of fibre per day, including both soluble and insoluble fibre, concluded Ma.

The mechanism of how dietary fibre could reduce inflammation is not clear, say the researchers. A recent review had suggested that fibre could reduce the oxidation of fats, which is linked to oxidative stress and increased levels of inflammation.

Another explanation is that soluble fibre act as prebiotics by boosting conditions for bacteria in the intestinal tract, improving gut health, and subsequently preventing inflammation.

The authors note some limitations of their study, most notably that the researchers could not control for medications in their study. Participants taking statins or hormones, for example, were excluded at the start of the study, but no checks were made during the study to check continued compliance.

Randomised controlled clinical trials of high and low-fibre diets are needed, said the researchers, and, based on the results of these trials, a review of public health recommendations.

[James]

awesome find Jacob. I don't think that I get enough fiber in my diet, this gives me inspiration to consume more of it.

[Jacob]

Notice they talk about it helping against diabetes and heart disease. Both are often cited as having a linkage to losing hair in some way.

[James]

oh yeah def. there is a connection. Interesting stuff.

[HairLossFight.com]

This is indeed a great find. I've recently totally shifted my diet to eliminate simple sugars (except natural fructose from fruit), increase consumption of organics, both meats and plants, and elimination of highly starchy foods.

It is already paying dividends. My skin inflammatory conditions like my seborrheic dermatitis and my folliculitis have decreased. Also, my face appears much less puffy. I also feel a lot better (except when I get a craving for a chocolate bar or donut )

I am eating lots of high fibre veggies, including broccoli and asparagus. I guess broccoli alone is a double whammy when it comes to combating hair loss given that it is high in fibre AND it contains DIM, which has been shown to inhibit DHT.

One of the ironies of being afflicted with hair loss is that if you really want to fight it, it behooves you to change your lifestyle habits in such a way that you eat well, exercise regulary, try to get more sleep (melatonin) and reduce your stress. All of these have numerous obvious other benefits.
So in a way, it can have a very positive effect on your life if you choose to do the things I just said.

This info you posted, Jacob, makes me even MORE motivated to keep up with the new diet and keep improving things.

[Jacob]

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13/04/2006- A study has shown that a combined supplement containing omega-3, vitamin E and niacin offer antioxidant could offer protection against heart disease.

The individual compounds have all been reported to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD), a disease that causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated 169bn ($202bn) per year.
Combining different compounds, which protect each other and act together at different levels of lipid chain production, improves lipid profile, inflammatory and oxidative status, allowing us to reduce the dose of each compound under the threshold of its side effects, reported lead author Roberto Accinni in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (Vol. 16, pp. 121-127).

The randomised, blinded clinical trial divided 57 volunteers (average age 48, average BMI 27 kg/m2) into three groups: The first group (control group A) received a placebo, the second group (group B) received a supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids (660 mg EPA, 440 mg DHA) and vitamin E (4 mg alpha-tocopherol), and the third group (group C) received that same as B plus niacin (18 mg) and gamma-oryzanol (40.2 mg).

People with diagnosed CVD, diabetes, high blood pressure, or taking lipid lowering medication were excluded from the trial.

After four months of supplementation the researchers took several biochemical measurements to determine the efficacy of the supplements.

The total antioxidant capacity (TAC), measured from blood samples, had increased significantly during the four months group Bs TAC increased by 33.55 micromoles per millilitre (mm/ml), and groups Cs by 84 mm/ml. The placebo groups TAC measure decreased by 16.15 mm/ml.

Blood levels of vitamin E were found to be significantly higher in group C, but not in group B - a result attributed to the presence of both niacin and gamma-oryzanol, which preserve vitamin E status.

Concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1-beta (IL 1-beta) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), also decreased as a result of decrease in IL 1-beta, however, was only significant for group C.

Judging by our results, four months supplementation produced a beneficial effect on dyslipidemia, oxidative equilibrium and inflammatory status in patients treated with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and gamma-oryzanol, said the researchers from Italys Institute of Clinical Physiology.

The authors said that a number of complementing mechanisms, most still unknown, were behind the activity observed by this combination supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, have been proposed to lower pro-inflammatory cytokines by the uptake and incorporation of EHA into the cell membranes.

Both niacin and gamma-oryzanol appeared to enhance the antioxidant power of the supplement, and spared vitamin E levels in the blood.

Interestingly, the researchers pointed out that unlike other reports, the use of niacin produced benefits and no side-effects, thanks to small doses.

Side effects of too much niacin include abdonimal cramps, vomiting and ulcers, for example, and these are reported to occur at doses above 1000 milligrams per day (mg/day). The RDA for niacin is only 15 mg/day for women and 19 mg/day for men in the US, 18 mg/day for adults in the EU. Supplements in the US are available with doses in the range 100 to 1000 mg. Most European supplements are in the range 50 to 100 mg.

The authors said that it is not necessary to quantify exactly how much each component contribute to the improvement, stating instead that others have already reported on this.

However, this does not seem to agree with their claim that most of the complementing mechanisms were still unknown. It is clear that further research is needed to elucidate the synergetic activities of the such multi-compound supplements.

[terriboy]

This is indeed a great find. I've recently totally shifted my diet to eliminate simple sugars (except natural fructose from fruit), increase consumption of organics, both meats and plants, and elimination of highly starchy foods.

It is already paying dividends. My skin inflammatory conditions like my seborrheic dermatitis and my folliculitis have decreased. Also, my face appears much less puffy. I also feel a lot better (except when I get a craving for a chocolate bar or donut )

I am eating lots of high fibre veggies, including broccoli and asparagus. I guess broccoli alone is a double whammy when it comes to combating hair loss given that it is high in fibre AND it contains DIM, which has been shown to inhibit DHT.

One of the ironies of being afflicted with hair loss is that if you really want to fight it, it behooves you to change your lifestyle habits in such a way that you eat well, exercise regulary, try to get more sleep (melatonin) and reduce your stress. All of these have numerous obvious other benefits.
So in a way, it can have a very positive effect on your life if you choose to do the things I just said.

This info you posted, Jacob, makes me even MORE motivated to keep up with the new diet and keep improving things.

this is so true, since losing hair, i changed my whole lifestyle...i used to smoke a pack a day...now i stopped and run and exercise over an hour a day. my diet contains more veggies too

[Jacob]

Insoluble fibre could protect against diabetes, more evidence

12/04/2006- A German clinical trial has reported that eating a fibre-enriched bread for only three days improved insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese women by eight per cent, as the evidence for fibre protection against type-2 diabetes continues to grow.

The new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care (Vol. 29, pp. 775-780), adds to a number of observational studies linking whole grains to lower risks of the disease news that has already been grasped by cereal makers as the number of wholegrain products rises.
Sales of whole grains products in the US have increased following recommendations of the health benefits in the USDA's new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

In Europe, the Healthgrain Integrated Project was recently launched to identify new sources of nutritionally enhanced grain, as well as to develop methods to make cereal products more appealing to consumers.

The controlled, single-blind, cross-over study, led by Martin Weickert from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, Potsdam, randomised 17 overweight or obese women, average age 53, with normal glucose metabolism, to eat nine macronutrient matched portions of fibre-enriched bread or control bread during a 72-hour period.

The fibre-enriched bread provided 31.2 grams of insoluble fibre per day, while the control bread was standard white bread.

When analysing results for the entire cohort, intake of fibre-enriched bread for 72 hours significantly improved whole-body glucose disposal; this was equivalent to an eight per cent improvement of insulin sensitivity, reported Weickert.

The researchers reported no significant changes in plasma glucose, serum insulin, magnesium concentrations, blood lipids or serum insulin after eating the fibre-enriched bread, compared to control.

The molecular mechanism behind these improvements are not clear, say the researchers.

Insoluble fibre, containing mainly cellulose and hemicellulose, are unlikely to be physiologically inert and may be interesting candidates for future research, they said.

One possible mechanism involving increased magnesium intake improve insulin sensitivity, as proposed by a recent study, but the magnesium content of both test and control breads were identical, and no increase in serum concentrations of magnesium were observed, suggesting this is not the mechanism responsible for the effects reported by Weickert and colleagues.

The authors point out that the use of fibre supplements has been criticised, but, seeing as many people are falling short of recommended levels, they say: It seems important to identify active substances of dietary fibres that may have favourable health effects.

An emphasis on cereal, fruit, and vegetable consumption containing a particularly high proportion of insoluble dietary fibre might be a safe, effective, and low-cost approach to reduce insulin resistance, they concluded.

An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, equal to four per cent of the total population. This figure is projected to increase to 26 million by 2030.

In the US, there are over 20 million people with diabetes, equal to seven per cent of the population. The total costs are thought to be as much as $132 billion, according to 2002 American Diabetes Association figures.

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