In a recent study, presented at the ACC Middle East Conference 2019 together with 10th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress in Dubai, it was found that increasing intake of dietary fibre could improve the condition of patients suffering from hypertension, diabetes. The research team from Care Well Heart and Super Specialty Hospital in Amritsar examined the association between a high fibre diet and its impact on cardiovascular disease risk factors.
"Comprehensive evaluation of etiological effects of dietary factors on cardiometabolic outcomes, their quantitative effects and corresponding optimal intakes are well-established," said the study's lead author Rohit Kapoor.
According to the guidelines from the National Institute of Nutrition and the Indian Council of Medical Research, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for dietary fibre is 40gm/2000kcal.
For the study, 200 participants' fibre intake was tracked for six months that included check-ups at the start of the study, after three months and after six months. All the patients in this study had Type-2 diabetes and a calorie intake of 1,200-1,500kcal, causing their RDA for fibre to be 24-30gm. The participants were then provided with diet prescriptions. As per the findings of the study, patients who consumed high fibre diet witnessed a significant improvement in cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose.
There was a 23 per cent reduction in triglycerides, nine per cent reduction in serum cholesterol, 15 per cent reduction of systolic blood pressure, and a 28 per cent reduction of fasting glucose.