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The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview that demonstrates the prevention role of dietary fiber in type2 diabetes. Due to the frequent incidences of type2 diabetes and its related complications, a small percentage of reduction in the cases could save thousands of lives and economic loss spending on healthcare and medication.

A literature review has been performed over the electronic databases Medline PubMed and SciELO (The Scientific Electronic Library Online). The reference list of identified articles has also been reviewed. For this search, the following descriptors were considered: diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia, diet therapy, dietary fiber and insulin sensitivity.

The updated publications indicated that valuable efforts have been done to clarify the beneficial effect of dietary fiber consumption on type2 diabetes. Dietary fiber plays a role as a promising alternative therapeutic means toward type2 diabetes mellitus prevention.

This review is unique in its comprehensive nature. This paper will reflect the role and mechanism of dietary fiber in the prevention of type2 diabetes.

The aim of this paper to explain the difficulties associated with applying the science of nutrition in formulating advice to protect public health, using the example of dietary fibre.

Based on this review of relevant literature published between 1953 and 2006, the first section traces the history of attempts at constructing useful definitions of dietary fibre. Then the problems of measurement of the fibre content of foods, measurement of fibre intake in individuals and with testing for correlations with disease, are outlined.

The equivocal nature of current definitions of dietary fibre, and the lack of accuracy, validity or reliability of methods of determination, have been major limitations to developing an understanding its role in protecting human health. Perhaps more than for any other dietary constituent, the elucidation of the science describing the role of dietary fibre in human nutrition has been confounded by both known and unidentified variables.

This paper reflects an increasing scientific awareness that developments in nutrition are subject to the limitations of methods of analysis and research design. It explains why the processes of scientific investigation are often slow to reveal important relationships between dietary factors and health. This presents some difficulties for authorities charged with promoting health protective eating behaviours.

Although it has not been possible to unequivocally quantify dietary fibre or its effects on human metabolism, the research provides strong support for choosing a wide range of fresh or minimally intact plant food sources to protect health, as recommended in the FBDG's promoted in many countries around the world. The health protective effects may be achieved with moderation of the information disseminated about dietary fibre, particularly via the marketing of manufactured foods supplemented with fibre isolates.

Evaluating the hypothesis that dietary fibre is a protective factor and interpretation of the nutritional advice to ‘eat more fibre’ is dependent on quantitative measurements of dietary fibre. The analysis poses several very difficult analytical issues. Firstly there are the technical issues which arise whenever one analyses a complex mixture, especially of carbohydrates. Secondly, because different components exert different physiological effects, there is a need to characterise as well as quantify the dietary fibre if one wishes to understand or predict its effects; and thirdly, the definition of dietary fibre is couched in physiological terms that do not lend themselves to translation into analytical procedures.

While the scientific reaction to many of the claims made for the benefits of dietary fibre is ‘it's too good to be true’, there is wide acceptance by the general public and the media that an increased intake of dietary fibre is a good thing. There is, however, still confusion about what dietary fibre is and how much there is in foods and the diet. In this, the first of two articles, Professor D.A.T. Southgate and Richard Faulks, of the AFRC Institute of Food Research, Norwich attempt to answer the basic question, what is dietary fibre?

Posits that fibre is an essential constituent of the daily diet. Outlines the types of dietary fibre and summarizes some common diseases associated with the lack of fibre in the human diet.

Describes dietary fibre and recent methods associated with dietary fibre analysis. This was brought to attention due to recent issues by MAFF which was intended to ensure consistent labelling of dietary fibre. MAFF now proposes adopting AOAC international methodology as the UK’s preferred method of analysis for fibre for nutritional labelling purposes. Compares the AOAC method with the Englyst method and gives an objective view as to which method is more suitable.

Brush border intestinal disaccharidases (maltase, sucrase and lactase) play an important role in carbohydrate assimilation. These enzymes are located on the brush border and may interact with legume seed components such as dietary fiber and polyphenols. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of legume dietary fiber on rat disaccharidase in vitro.

Rat intestinal disaccharidases from Sprague‐Dawley rats fed a basal diet for 21 days were partially purified from intestinal scrapings. Enzyme activities were tested in vitro in the absence and presence of total dietary fiber isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris (Varieties Tacarigua and Montalbán) and Vigna unguiculata (Varieties Unare and Tuy) seeds that differ in fiber and polyphenol content. Dietary fiber was purified using the AOAC method.

The specific activities of the intestinal brush‐border disaccharidases from rats fed the basal diet were 3.29 ± 0.06, 3.13 ± 0.62 and 0.18 ± 0.04 umoles of glucose released/mg of protein/min for maltase, sucrase and lactase, respectively. Total dietary fiber from the legume tested inhibited both sucrase and maltase. Fiber from the four seeds tested affected sucrase similarly (average inhibition 35 per cent) whereas the fiber residue from P. vulgaris Montalbán was more effective on maltase (26.7 per cent) than that from P. vulgaris Tacarigua (12.2 per cent). Effect of V. unguiculata fibers on maltase was similar and somewhat in between those from P. vulgaris.

These results suggest that dietary fiber, as well as other factors from beans with anti‐physiological effect, such as condensed tannins and fitic acid possibly associated with the dietary fiber, may impair carbohydrate availability and may contribute to the low glycemic index proper of these foodstuffs.

The aim of this study was to develop dietary fibre-enriched chicken sausage by incorporating fibre from a by-product of corn milling, apple and tomato processing.

Sausages were developed by replacing lean meat with corn bran (CB), dried apple pomace (DAP) and dried tomato pomace (DTP) each at 3, 6 and 9 per cent levels. Organoleptic, nutritional and physico-chemical quality attributes of treated sausages were evaluated. One product from each fibre source with very good organoleptic acceptability was selected to estimate total dietary fibre content and assess shelf life under refrigerated temperature.

Organoleptic acceptability of 3 per cent fibre-incorporated sausages were comparable with control. Moisture content decreased significantly in all treated sausages, protein content decreased in CB- and DAP-treated sausages, while ash content increased significantly in DTP-treated sausages. Emulsion stability and cooking yield was significantly higher in 6 and 9 per cent treated sausages, while crude fibre content was significantly higher in all the treated sausages.

Chicken sausages with very good acceptability, higher dietary fibre content and storability up to 15 days at refrigerated temperature were developed by incorporating CB at 3 per cent level and DAP and DTP each at the 6 per cent level.

The research is of value to meat processors. By-products like corn bran, apple and tomato pomace which are of low value can be profitably utilized to develop fibre enriched chicken sausage. Developed products will also help in promoting the image of meat as a healthy food.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the latest mounting evidence reporting associations between the important role of whole grains and fibre in lowering the risk of chronic diseases and health.

A general systematic review was conducted to locate and summarise up-to-date published studies within the field. A Medline search identified human-controlled trials and observational studies published in the past five years.

A total of 49 studies were identified. In observational studies, higher intakes of whole grain and dietary fibre were associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, abdominal adiposity and certain cancers. This was further supported by human intervention trials, which reported benefits for appetite control, blood lipid levels, glycaemic control, digestive health and secondary cancer prevention. Mechanisms may relate to the micronutrients and phytonutrients present in high fibre foods.

Practical advice is needed to help people identify foods rich in whole grains, e.g. breakfast cereals. UK fibre recommendations should be aligned with European guidelines and food labelling regulations, and a whole grain dietary recommendation, e.g. similar to the US guideline of three portions a day, could be introduced. Government and industry should play a role in communicating dietary fibre guidelines and the health benefits associated with whole grain and fibre, particularly insoluble fibre.

This paper develops knowledge about whole grains, health and the importance of establishing whole-grain dietary recommendations.

Dietary fiber and energy intakes seem to be related to disability and anthropometric indices in multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. So, this study was designed to investigate the association between dietary fiber and energy intakes with systemic inflammation, disease severity and anthropometric measurements in MS subjects.

Four subtypes of 261 MS volunteers were recruited (female = 210, male = 51; mean age 38.9 ± 8.3). A 168-item food frequency questionnaire and nutritionist IV software were used to estimate the amounts of dietary, insoluble, soluble, crude fiber and energy intakes. Serum hs-CRP, extended disability status scale (EDSS), height, weight and Deurenberg equation were also used to evaluate systemic inflammation, disease severity, body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat, respectively.

Mean differences among the three hs-CRP and EDSS subgroups for dietary fibers and energy intake were significant (p < 0.001). Dietary fiber intake (M = 19.9 ± 4.3 g/day) was a good predictor for EDSS (B = −0.196, p = 0.012), and insoluble fiber intake was introduced as the best predictor of hs-CRP (B = −3.293, p < 0.001). Energy intake predicted both BMI (B = 0.007, p < 0.001) and percentage body fat (B = 0.015, p < 0.001).

Hypocaloric and high prebiotic fiber diet may suppress systemic inflammation and thereby modulate disease severity, as well as control anthropometric indices.