Fiber intake, age, and other coronary risk factors in men of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study (1959-1975).

Fiber intake was estimated by 7-day diet record in community-dwelling men of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The mean intake of 845 men (age 20-103) was 3.82 +/- 0.03 g crude fiber/day which corresponds to approximately 15 g/day of dietary fiber. Fiber intake increased across the age span (slope = +0.022 +/- 0.003 g/yr, p less than .01). Longitudinal analysis of 380 men, each of whom provided 3-8 diet records over an average period of 8 yr, indicated that the increase in fiber intake occurred in each age group and was not the result of differential survival. Fiber intake was negatively correlated with body mass index. After clinical screening to eliminate variables which could independently influence coronary risk factors, multiple regression analyses including age and body mass index were conducted to examine the effect of fiber (adjusted for total calorie intake) on blood pressure, blood lipids, and glucose tolerance. For systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride, and fasting plasma glucose, higher fiber intake was associated with lower levels of the risk factors (p less than .05).