Fiber Lowers the Heart Disease Risk Factor, C-Reactive Protein
(Vitamin Research Products, August 2004)

When researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data gathered during 1999 and 2000 from 3,920 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the investigators found that people who consumed higher amounts of dietary fiber tended to have lower levels of the inflammatory marker, C-Reactive Protein (CRP). Scientists speculate that this CRP-lowering property may help account for the results of previous studies that have shown that fiber plays a broad role in protecting health, including decreasing cholesterol, clearing the intestinal tract of carcinogenic substances, nourishing the "good" bacteria in the gut, promoting regularity and even reducing the risk of degenerative disease.