Dietary Fiber Intake and Retinal Vascular Caliber in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Overview

Journal Am J Clin Nutr

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Nutritional Sciences

Date 2007 Dec 11

PMID 18065579

Citations 14

Authors

Haidong Kan

June Stevens

Gerardo Heiss

Ronald Klein

Kathryn M Rose

Stephanie J London

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Dietary fiber appears to decrease the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Microvascular abnormalities can be observed by retinal examination and contribute to the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases. The impact of dietary fiber on the retinal microvasculature is not known.

Objective: We aimed to examine the association between dietary fiber intake and retinal vascular caliber.

Design: At the third visit (1993-1995) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, a population-based cohort of adults in 4 US communities, the retinal vascular caliber of 10,659 participants was measured and summarized from digital retinal photographs. Usual dietary intake during the same period was assessed with a 66-item food-frequency questionnaire.

Results: After control for potential confounders including hypertension, diabetes, lipids, demographic factors, cigarette smoking, total energy intake, micronutrients intake, and other cardiovascular disease risk factors, higher intake of fiber from all sources and from cereal were significantly associated with wider retinal arteriolar caliber and narrower venular caliber. Participants in the highest quintile of fiber intake from all sources had a 1.05-microm larger arteriolar caliber (P for trend = 0.012) and a 1.11-microm smaller venular caliber (P for trend = 0.029).

Conclusions: Dietary fiber was related to wider retinal arteriolar caliber and narrower venular caliber, which are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. These data add to the growing evidence of the benefits of fiber intake on various aspects of cardiovascular pathogenesis.

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