Heart Health
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for both men and women in the United States. Genetic, environmental and dietary factors, including high levels of blood cholesterol, play major roles in developing coronary artery disease.
Numerous studies have looked at the role of dietary fiber in lowering blood cholesterol. Soluble fiber, including oat bran, pectin (found in dried plums) and psyllium, have been shown to decrease blood cholesterol levels. Research at the University of California, Davis, demonstrated that men with moderately elevated cholesterol levels experienced a reduction in both total and LDL cholesterol after eating 100 grams (10–12) dried plums daily (6–7 grams of dietary fiber). An animal study subsequently showed that isolated dried plum fiber significantly lowered cholesterol and helped establish dried plums’ potential to lower serum cholesterol and the risk for heart disease.
Daniel D. Gallaher, Ph.D., Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, used a mouse model to explore the effect of dried plums on the development of atherosclerotic plaque directly. Dried plum powder, fed at the equivalent of 10–12 dried plums daily, significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesions in the animals. There was no change in cholesterol levels, suggesting that dried plums had a direct effect on the progression of the disease in ways other than lowering cholesterol. Additional research is needed to determine the cause of this effect.
Sources:
Tinker, L.F., Schneeman, B.O., Davis, P.A., Gallaher, D.D., Waggoner, C.R. "Consumption of Prunes as a Source of Dietary Fiber in Men with Mild Hypercholesterolemia." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53 (1991): 1259–1265.
Tinker, L.F., Davis, P.A., Schneeman, B.O. "Prune Fiber or Pectin Compared with Cellulose Lowers Plasma and Liver Lipids in Rats with Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia." Journal of Nutrition 124 (1994): 31–40.
Gallaher, C.M. and Gallaher, D.D. "Effect of Dried Plum Consumption on Atherosclerotic Lesions in the ApoE-Deficient Mouse." Abstract #5490, Experimental Biology (2004).