Women who eat a high-fibre diet increase their protection against cardiovascular disease, a recent study has claimed.
Swedish scientists from Lund University discovered that women who consume a high-fibre diet are 25% less likely to be struck down with heart disease than those who eat little amounts of fibre.
Researchers investigated the eating habits of over 20,000 people from Malmö in Sweden, and how 13 essential nutrients (including fibre, fats, proteins, carbohydrates) might play a role in the onset of cardiovascular disease.
"Women who ate a diet high in fibre had an almost 25% lower risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease compared with women who ate a low-fibre diet,” explains Peter Wallström, a research from the study.
In contrast, the effects were less pronounced in men, however they did discover a fibre-rich diet slashed a man's risk of stroke. Although the exact reason for this discrepancy is unknown, researchers theorise that women may consume fibre from healthier food sources than men.
“The difference in the results for men and women shows that we need to pay more attention to gender when we conduct research on diet”, adds Wallström.
Interestingly, the study didn’t find any definite links between the other nutrients (for example, saturated fat and sugar) and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, the study authors warn this information should be taken with caution: “Almost everyone eats more saturated fat than recommended, including the participants in many other population studies,” says Wallström .
“It is therefore difficult to compare recommended and high fat intake. Other types of study that have been carried out have shown that those who limit their fat and sugar intake are at lower risk of cardiovascular disease”,
These study results were published in the scientific journal, PLoS One.
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