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  • Original Article
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Dietary fiber intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in the Japanese population: the Japan Public Health Center-based study cohort

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 65, pages 1233–1241 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

There has been no study with regard to the association between dietary fibers and the incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) in Asia. We investigated the association between dietary fiber and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which we defined as stroke or CHD, in a Japanese population.

Subjects/Methods:

We studied 86 387 Japanese subjects (age 45–65 years, without CVD or cancer in 1995 as Cohort I and in 1998 as Cohort II) and used a self-administered questionnaire to follow-up the participants until the end of 2004. Dietary fiber intake was estimated from food-frequency questionnaires comprising 138 food items.

Results:

After 899 141 person-years of follow-up, we documented the incidence of 2553 strokes and 684 cases of CHD. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) of CVD for the third to fifth quintiles of total fiber were 0.79 (0.63–0.99), 0.70 (0.54–0.89) and 0.65 (0.48–0.87) in women, respectively, compared with the lowest quintile. Total fiber intake was inversely associated with the incidence of stroke, either cerebral infarction or intracerebral hemorrhage in women. The results for insoluble fiber in women were similar to those for total fiber, whereas those for soluble fiber were weak. An inverse association of total fiber with CVD was observed primarily in non-smokers (P for trend=0.045 and 0.001) and not in smokers (probability values for interaction between total fiber and smoking were 0.06 and 0.01 in men and women, respectively).

Conclusions:

Higher total dietary fiber was associated with reduced risk of CVD in Japanese non-smokers.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all of the staff members in each study area and in the central office for their painstaking efforts in conducting the baseline survey and follow-up research. This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Cancer Research and the Third-Term Comprehensive Ten-Year Strategy for Cancer Control from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Y Kokubo, H Iso, I Saito, K Yamagishi, J Ishihara, M Inoue and S Tsugane: See Appendix.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan

    Y Kokubo

  2. Department of Public Health, Social Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

    H Iso

  3. Department of Public Health, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan

    I Saito

  4. Department of Pub,

    K Yamagishi

  5. l,

    K Yamagishi

  6. ic Health Medicine, Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    K Yamagishi

  7. Epidemiology and Prevention Division, Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan

    J Ishihara, M Inoue & S Tsugane

  8. Department of Nutrition, Junior College of Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

    J Ishihara

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  1. Y Kokubo
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  2. H Iso
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for the JPHC Study Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Y Kokubo.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Appendix

Appendix

Additional Contributors to the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC study, principal investigator: S Tsugane) Group are as follows: S Tsugane, M Inoue, T Sobue and T Hanaoka, National Cancer Center, Tokyo; J Ogata, S Baba, T Mannami, A Okayama and Y Kokubo, National Cardiovascular Center, Osaka; K Miyakawa, F Saito, A Koizumi, Y Sano, I Hashimoto, T Ikuta and Y Tanaba, Iwate Prefectural Ninohe Public Health Center, Iwate; Y Miyajima, N Suzuki, S Nagasawa, Y Furusugi and N Nagai, Akita Prefectural Yokote Public Health Center, Akita; H Sanada, Y Hatayama, F Kobayashi, H Uchino, Y Shirai, T Kondo, R Sasaki, Y Watanabe, Y Miyagawa, Y Kobayashi and M Machida, Nagano Prefectural Saku Public Health Center, Nagano; Y Kishimoto, E Takara, T Fukuyama, M Kinjo, M Irei and H Sakiyama, Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Public Health Center, Okinawa; K Imoto, H Yazawa, T Seo, A Seiko, F Ito, F Shoji and R Saito, Katsushika Public Health Center, Tokyo; A Murata, K Minato, K Motegi, T Fujieda and S Yamato, Ibaraki Prefectural Mito Public Health Center, Ibaraki; K Matsui, T Abe, M Katagiri and M Suzuki, Niigata Prefectural Kashiwazaki and Nagaoka Public Health Center, Niigata; M Doi, A Terao, Y Ishikawa and T Tagami, Kochi Prefectural Chuo-higashi Public Health Center, Kochi; H Sueta, H Doi, M Urata, N Okamoto and F Ide, Nagasaki Prefectural Kamigoto Public Health Center, Nagasaki; H Sakiyama, N Onga, H Takaesu and M Uehara, Okinawa Prefectural Miyako Public Health Center, Okinawa; F Horii, I Asano, H Yamaguchi, K Aoki, S Maruyama, M Ichii and M Takano, Osaka Prefectural Suita Public Health Center, Osaka; Y Tsubono, Tohoku University, Miyagi; K Suzuki, Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels Akita, Akita; Y Honda, K Yamagishi, S Sakurai and N Tsuchiya, Tsukuba University, Ibaraki; M Kabuto, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki; M Yamaguchi, Y Matsumura, S Sasaki and S Watanabe, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo; M Akabane, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo; T Kadowaki, Tokyo University, Tokyo; M Noda and T Mizoue, International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo; Y Kawaguchi, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo; Y Takashima and Y Yoshida, Kyorin University, Tokyo; K Nakamura, Niigata University, Niigata; S Matsushima and S Natsukawa, Saku General Hospital, Nagano; H Shimizu, Sakihae Institute, Gifu; H Sugimura, Hamamatsu University, Shizuoka; S Tominaga, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Aichi; H Iso, Osaka University, Osaka; M Iida, W Ajiki and A Ioka, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease, Osaka; S Sato, Chiba Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Chiba; E Maruyama, Kobe University, Hyogo; M Konishi, K Okada and I Saito, Ehime University, Ehime; N Yasuda, Kochi University, Kochi; S Kono, Kyushu University, Fukuoka.

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Kokubo, Y., Iso, H., Saito, I. et al. Dietary fiber intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in the Japanese population: the Japan Public Health Center-based study cohort. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 1233–1241 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.100

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