From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon May 05 2003 - 12:27:48 MDT
Here is an extremely relevant study designed specifically to compare three
diets (a paleolithic diet, an early agricultural diet, and a contemporary
low-fat diet) with respect to their effects on risk factors for heart
disease and colon cancer. The researchers found that the paleodiet, rich in
fiber from fruits and vegetables, reduced the risk factors for heart disease
and possibly also colon cancer. Most notable is that LDL (the bad form of
cholesterol) decreased 33% on the paleodiet. This was more than for either
of the alternate diets. -gts
ABSTRACT:
Effect of a very-high-fiber vegetable, fruit, and nut diet on serum lipids
and colonic function.
Metabolism 2001 Apr;50(4):494-503 (ISSN: 0026-0495)
Jenkins DJ; Kendall CW; Popovich DG; Vidgen E; Mehling CC; Vuksan V; Ransom
TP; Rao AV; Rosenberg-Zand R; Tariq N; Corey P; Jones PJ; Raeini M; Story
JA; Furumoto EJ; Illingworth DR; Pappu AS; Connelly PW
Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, Department of
Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital,
Toronto, Quebec, Canada.
We tested the effects of feeding a diet very high in fiber from fruit and
vegetables. The levels fed were those, which had originally inspired the
dietary fiber hypothesis related to colon cancer and heart disease
prevention and also may have been eaten early in human evolution. Ten
healthy volunteers each took 3 metabolic diets of 2 weeks duration. The
diets were: high-vegetable, fruit, and nut (very-high-fiber, 55 g/1,000
kcal); starch-based containing cereals and legumes (early agricultural
diet); or low-fat (contemporary therapeutic diet). All diets were intended
to be weight-maintaining (mean intake, 2,577 kcal/d). Compared with the
starch-based and low-fat diets, the high-fiber vegetable diet resulted in
the largest reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (33% +/-
4%, P <.001) and the greatest fecal bile acid output (1.13 +/- 0.30 g/d, P
=.002), fecal bulk (906 +/- 130 g/d, P <.001), and fecal short-chain fatty
acid outputs (78 +/- 13 mmol/d, P <.001). Nevertheless, due to the increase
in fecal bulk, the actual concentrations of fecal bile acids were lowest on
the vegetable diet (1.2 mg/g wet weight, P =.002). Maximum lipid reductions
occurred within 1 week. Urinary mevalonic acid excretion increased (P =.036)
on the high-vegetable diet reflecting large fecal steroid losses. We
conclude that very high-vegetable fiber intakes reduce risk factors for
cardiovascular disease and possibly colon cancer. Vegetable and fruit fibers
therefore warrant further detailed investigation. [Copyright 2001 by W.B.
Saunders Company].
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