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Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Stroke

  • Neurological Disease and Cognitive Function (G Logroscino, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Prospective studies show that a high intake of plant-derived foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, is associated with reduced risk of stroke. Among the many compounds present in these foods, dietary fiber may be an important mediator of the beneficial effects. Meta-analyses of prospective studies have reported an inverse association between intake of dietary fiber and risk of stroke. Findings from meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials show that fiber supplementation has a weak to modest beneficial effect on blood pressure as well as on total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. Epidemiological data also indicate that intake of fiber-rich foods may reduce systemic inflammation, postprandial glycemic response, and the probability of developing insulin resistance. While it remains unclear whether dietary fiber per se has a protective effect, compelling evidence indicates that increased intake of fiber-rich foods likely plays an important role in the prevention of stroke.

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Acknowledgments

The author’s research on stroke was funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte).

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Conflict of Interest

Susanna C. Larsson declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden

    Susanna C. Larsson

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  1. Susanna C. Larsson
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Correspondence to Susanna C. Larsson.

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Larsson, S.C. Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Stroke. Curr Nutr Rep 3, 88–93 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-014-0074-6

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