A per diem expenses rich in fiber is associated with less cardiovascular diseases, as well as less incidence of diabetes subject 2, some cancers and inflammatory diseases. All this explains why a high fiber intake leads to a reduced mortality rate.

This is the result of a collaborative study carried out by scientists from the University of Navarra and the Navarra Health Service, which has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The work is coordinated by Professor Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, Full Professor of the School of Medicine of the University of Navarra and member of CIBEROBN.

The research involved 7,216 men aged 55-75 years and women aged 60-75 years at risk for cardiovascular disease. Patients were classified into five categories according to their fiber and fruit intake; those in the highest category of fiber and fruit intake had a 37% and 41% higher mortality rate, respectively, leave than those in the category with the lowest intake. This association was even stronger for cardiovascular deaths.

According to director of department at Preventive Medicine and Public Health Miguel Ángel Martínez, "the most interesting thing we observed, for the first time in an epidemiological study, is that those who initially consumed little fruit but increased their fruit consumption by just one apple a day, already obtained a significant reduction in their mortality risk". 

research pioneer

The new study is a unique work , as previous research had only considered the initial total fiber content and not repeated measurements throughout follow-up. "In this case, in addition, the effect of the foods themselves (fruits, whole grains and others rich in fiber) has also been taken into account, since it is considered that there are other components in them that could play an important role in the prevention of mortality," explained the coordinator of the study carried out by Dr. Pilar Buil-Cosiales together with other professionals from the Navarra Health Service.

The project is part of PREDIMED, a collaborative research involving 19 scientific groups from Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Navarra, Basque Country and Valencia. This is the largest clinical essay of the Spanish research and one of the main ones on nutrition in the world whose goal is to evaluate whether the Mediterranean per diem expenses supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts prevents the onset of cardiovascular diseases (death of cardiovascular origin, myocardial infarction and/or cerebral vascular accident), compared to a per diem expenses leave in fat.