Will increasing the amount of fibre in your diet help prevent cardiovascular disease?

COCHRANE REVIEW: Hartley L, May MD, Loveman E, Colquitt JL, Rees K. Dietary fibre for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 1.

THE PROBLEM: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been identified by the world Health organisation (WHO) as the leading cause of death worldwide.¹ Increased intake of dietary fibre has been purported to have a beneficial effect on CVD risk factors.² The exact mechanism of action for dietary fibre has not been fully identified but it is thought to be associated with the slowing of gastric emptying, increased small intestine movement and control of nutrient absorption.³

CLINICAL BOTTOM LINE: Authors of this systematic review have shown that by increasing the intake of fibre there is a beneficial reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure in short-term trials. However, none of the evidence that was found looked at long-term outcomes and so there is currently no evidence on whether these reductions would subsequently decrease CVD events.