'Good' Carbs Help Reduce Heart Disease Risk

Cereals And Fruits Reduced Risk

While the debate rages on over low- and no-carbohydrate diets, a new study reiterates that a diet high in whole grains as well as fruits and vegetables significantly reduces the risk of heart disease.

The results, which appear in the Archives of Internal Medicine, apply to both men and women.

"There is a lot of controversy right now about how much carbohydrate we should have in our diet verses fat and protein," says lead author Dr. Mark A. Pereira at the University of Minnesota.

Experts Support Current Dietary Guidelines

But this study, he says, reinforces the current dietary guidelines that suggest the base of your diet should be fiber-rich fruit, vegetables, and grains.

Dr. Pereira and his colleagues collected data on 91,058 men and 245,186 women who participated in 10 studies in the US and Europe. Each study looked at the foods the participants ate, and all studies measured the amount of fiber in the participants' diets.

During six to 10 years of follow-up, 5,249 people were diagnosed with heart disease and 2,011 participants died from the disease, the study says.

For each 10 grams of fiber consumed a day, the risk of heart disease was reduced by 14 percent, Dr. Pereira says. They also found a 27 percent decrease in the risk of dying from heart disease.

The association between fiber and death from heart disease was particularly strong, the study says. For every 10 grams of cereal fiber consumed a day, the risk for death from heart disease was lowered by 25 percent. For every 10 grams of fruit fiber consumer daily, the risk dropped 30 percent.

However, the researchers did not find a link between vegetable fiber and reduced risk of heart disease.

"We are not sure why that is," Dr. Pereira says.

The researchers determined the findings were independent of other factors that reduce the risk for heart disease, such as not smoking, exercising, and weight control, he says.

"If you are concerned about your risk for heart disease, one of the key features of your diet should be plant-based foods," Dr. Pereira says. "In order to include 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day, your diet has to be primarily high-quality carbohydrates."

The benefits from grain come from whole grains - not from highly processed grains, such as those found in white bread or white rice, he adds.

"We are not just talking about carbohydrate in general," Dr. Pereira says. "The key is to look at the quality of the carbohydrate. You can eat a very high-carbohydrate diet at fast-food restaurants, for example, but get almost no fiber, only lots of sugar and starch."

Lowering Carb Intake Too Much a Concern

Dr. David L. Katz, at Yale University and author of The Way To Eat, says that "at another time, this might be a 'me-too' study, the term we somewhat disparagingly apply to studies that confirm what we already know."

But this is not any other time, Dr. Katz says.

"It is the age of carbohydrate restriction," Dr. Katz says. "And in most instances, rapid weight loss is pursued on diets that toss out whole grains and fruits along with simple sugar and refined starch."

"Reducing intake of whole grains and fresh fruit is the last thing our population should be doing," he says. "We should not be cutting carbs wholesale, but rather cultivating health-promoting dietary patterns that prioritize wholesome carbohydrate foods but restrict highly processed carbohydrate foods."

"A diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and otherwise moderate and balanced, is the tried-and-true formula for a better, healthier, longer life," Dr. Katz says.

Always consult your physician for more information.

Online Resources

(Our Organization is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.) 

American Heart Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

HealthierUS.Gov

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Library of Medicine

The Heart Truth National Awareness Campaign

April 2004

'Good' Carbs Help Reduce Heart Disease Risk

Experts Support Current Dietary Guidelines

Lowering Carb Intake Too Much a Concern

AHA Dietary Guidelines

Online Resources

AHA Dietary Guidelines

The American Heart Association (AHA) provides guidelines on health food habits.

The AHA says healthy eating can help individuals reduce three of the major risk factors for heart attack - high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess body weight.

It will also help reduce the risk of stroke, because heart disease and high blood pressure are major risk factors for stroke. The American Heart Association Eating Plan for Healthy Americans is based on these dietary guidelines, released in October 2000:

• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Choose 5 or more servings per day.

• Eat a variety of grain products, including whole grains. Choose 6 or more servings per day.

• Include fat-free and low-fat milk products, fish, legumes (beans), skinless poultry, and lean meats.

• Choose fats and oils with 2 grams or less saturated fat per tablespoon, such as liquid and tub margarines, canola oil, and olive oil.

• Balance the number of calories you eat with the number you use each day. (To find that number, multiply the number of pounds you weigh now by 15 calories. This represents the average number of calories used in one day if you are moderately active. If you get very little exercise, multiply your weight by 13 instead of 15. Less-active people burn fewer calories.)

• Maintain a level of physical activity that keeps you fit and matches the number of calories you eat. Walk or do other activities for at least 30 minutes on most days. To lose weight, do enough activity to use up more calories than you eat every day.

• Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks and candy that have a lot of sugars.

• Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and/or cholesterol, such as full-fat milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, and egg yolks. Instead choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol from the first four points above.

• Eat less than 6 grams of salt (sodium chloride) per day (2,400 milligrams of sodium).

• Have no more than one alcoholic drink per day if you are a woman and no more than two if you are a man. "One drink" means it has no more than one-half ounce of pure alcohol. Examples of one drink are 12 oz. of beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1-1/2 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

Following this eating plan will help persons achieve and maintain a healthy eating pattern, according to AHA. The benefits of that include a healthy body weight, a desirable blood cholesterol level, and a normal blood pressure.

Every meal does not have to meet all the guidelines. It is important to apply the guidelines to your overall eating pattern over at least several days.

These guidelines may do more than improve heart health. They may reduce risk for other chronic health problems, including type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis (bone loss), and some forms of cancer.

Always consult your physician for more information.