The aim of the present study was to compare the dietary intake and the levels of traditional cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors in edentulous middle-aged individuals and individuals of the same age and sex who still had natural teeth. The study was performed within the framework of the MONICA-project. Population registers were used to sample randomly 1287 men and 1330 women aged 25-64 yr. Data were collected from a mailed questionnaire, blood analyses, registrations of blood pressure and anthropometric measures. The estimated daily energy intake did not differ between the two groups, but edentulous men and women ate more sweet snacks compared to those who still had teeth. Edentulous men also ate less fruits, vegetables and fibre and edentulous women ate more fat than dentates. Edentulous men and women were more obese and had lower serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations than those with remaining teeth. Edentulous women also had significantly higher concentrations of total cholesterol and triglycerides in serum than dentate women. Edentulous men and women were more often regular smokers, but not snuff users, than dentates of the same age and sex. Thus, the presence of two or more cardiovascular risk factors was more common in edentulous individuals than in those who still had natural teeth. In summary, these results support the hypothesis that edentulous middle-aged individuals have a more unfavourable risk factor profile for CVD. Counselling on balanced dietary habits and non-smoking given by dental personnel to orally diseased patients--recommendations given to improve resistance to dental caries or periodontitis--might therefore improve general health and possibly also improve risk factors for CVD.

A higher excretion of dry matter, fat, nitrogen, energy, and total bile acids in ileal effluents; a lower plasma low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterols (12.1% and 9.0% lower respectively); but no change in plasma high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or apolipoproteins A-I and B were observed in nine subjects with ileostomies when they consumed an oat-bran, bread-based, high-fiber diet (HFD) as compared with a wheat-flour, bread-based, low-fiber diet (LFD) for 3 wk with a crossover design. Of the nine subjects only the subjects with a low daily excretion of bile acids had an elevated excretion of total bile acids during the HFD compared with the LFD. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B in plasma also decreased by 11.3%, 15.3%, and 10.7%, respectively, after consumption of the HFD for 3 wk.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a rye, high-fibre diet (HFD) vs a wheat, low-fibre diet (LFD), meal frequency, nibbling (Nib, seven times a day) or ordinary (Ord, three times a day), and their combined effects on blood glucose, insulin, lipids, urinary C-peptide and ileal excretion of energy, cholesterol and bile acids in humans. Design: LFD period with Nib or Ord meal frequency followed by an HFD diet with Nib or Ord meal frequency in randomized, crossover design. Setting: Outpatients of ileostomy volunteers were called for an investigation in research word. Subjects: A total of 10 subjects (two female subjects, age 34 and 51 y; eight males, mean age 54.4 y, range 43-65 y) participated in the experiment. All subjects were proctocolectomized for ulcerative colitis (mean 16.0 y, range 8-29 y before the study). Intervention: In total, 10 ileostomy subjects started with LFD for 2 weeks, the first week on either Nib (five subjects) or Ord (five subjects) and the second week on the other meal frequencies, in a crossover design, followed by a wash-out week, and continued with HFD period for 2 weeks in the same meal frequency manner. All foods consumed in both Nib or Ord regimens were identical and a high-fibre rye bread was used in the HFD period and a low-fibre wheat bread in the LFD period. Main outcome measures: Day-profiles of blood glucose, insulin and lipids, blood lipids before and after dietary intervention, and excretion of steroids in the effluents and C-peptide in the urine. Results: During the Nib regimen, plasma glucose and insulin peaks were lower at the end of the day with HFD compared with LFD. Urinary C-peptide excretion was significantly higher in the day-time on LFD compared with HFD (LFD-Ord vs HFD-Ord, Po0.01; LFD-Nib vs HFD-Nib, Po0.01). Plasma free-cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids were significantly higher (Po0.05) after LFD than after HFD with the Nib regimen. A higher excretion of energy (Po0.05) and chenodeoxycholic acid (Po0.05) were observed with HFD compared with LFD regardless of meal frequency. A higher daily excretion of cholic acid, total bile acids, cholesterol, net cholesterol and net sterols (Po0.05) was observed on HFD compared with LFD with the Nib regimen. Conclusions: An HFD decreased insulin secretion measured as a decreased excretion of C-peptide in urine and as decreased plasma insulin peaks at the end of the day during a Nib regimen. The smoother glycaemic responses at the end of the day during a Nib regimen may be a consequence of a second meal phenomenon, possibly related to the nature of dietary fibre complex. Contributors: EAL and JXZ were responsible for the study design, conducting the dietary intervention, completing the statistical analysis and writing the paper. PT was responsible for the study design and conducting the dietary intervention of the study. DL was involved in the advisory of writing the paper and the analysis of the blood lipids. PÅ was involved in the concept and planning, and the analysis of the nutrients in the...