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New Horizons for the Study of Dietary Fiber and Health: A Review

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Abstract

Dietary fibre has been consumed for centuries with known health benefits, but defining dietary fibre is a real challenge. From a functional perspective, dietary fibre is described as supporting laxation, attenuating blood glucose responses and assisting with cholesterol lowering. The problem is different types of dietary fibre have different effects, and new effects are increasingly observed, such as the influence on gut microbiota. Thus, a single definition may need to be described in more generic terms. Rather than being bound by a few functional definitions, we may need to embrace the possibilities of new horizons, and derive a working definition of dietary fibre based on a set of conceptual principles, rather than the limited definitions we have to date. To begin this process, a review of individual fibre types and their physiological effects would be helpful. Dietary fibre is a complex group of substances, and there is a growing interest in specific effects linked to fibre type. Different fractions of dietary fibre have different physiological properties, yet there is a paucity of literature covering the effects of all fibres. This paper describes a range of individual fibre types and identifies gaps in the literature which may expose new directions for a working definition of dietary fibre.

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Abbreviations

AACC:

American Association of Cereal Chemists

CAC:

Codex Alimentarius Commission

FNB:

Food and Nutrition Board

EC:

European Commission

FSANZ:

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand

DP:

Degree of polymerization

HMWDF:

High molecular weight dietary fibre

LMWDF:

Low molecular weight dietary fibre

DF:

Dietary fibre

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

FOS:

Fructooligosaccharides

GOS:

Galactooligosaccharides

MW:

Molecular weight

AX:

Arabinoxylan

SCFA:

Short chain fatty acid

HDL:

High density lipoprotein

LDL:

Low density lipoprotein

VLDL:

Very low density lipoprotein

GCD:

Gamma-cyclodextrin

MD:

Maltodextrin

RS:

Resistant starch

GIP:

Gastric inhibitory protein

AUC:

Area under the curve

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

EFSA:

European Food Safety Authority

AXOS:

Arabinoxylan oligosaccharides

BMI:

Body mass index

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    Stacey Fuller, Eleanor Beck & Linda Tapsell

  2. Grain Growers, North Ryde, NSW, 2113, Australia

    Hayfa Salman

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  1. Stacey Fuller
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  2. Eleanor Beck
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  4. Linda Tapsell
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Correspondence to Stacey Fuller.

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LT is a member of the California Walnuts Commission Science Advisory Committee and a member of the McCormick Science Institute Advisory Committee.

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Fuller, S., Beck, E., Salman, H. et al. New Horizons for the Study of Dietary Fiber and Health: A Review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 71, 1–12 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-016-0529-6

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