May 2004 Issue--Eating a couple of apples a day may significantly cut heart disease risk, according to a study published in the February 23, 2004 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
To estimate the association between dietary fiber intake and risk of coronary heart disease, researchers evaluated data from 10 prospective cohort studies in the U.S. and Europe involving 91,058 men and 245,186 women. Researchers recorded the amount of fiber in participants' diets over a period of 6-10 years. Nine of the 10 studies reported that higher fiber consumption correlated with reduced heart disease risk. For every 10g of fiber consumed per day, the risk of developing heart disease decreased 14%, and the risk of dying from heart disease decreased 27%.