Dietary Fibre Advantages

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Introduction Dietary fibres, also known as roughage, are a diverse group of the indigestible portion of the plant foods (i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin and beta-glucans) which are resistant to digestion in the small intestine and require bacterial fermentation located in the large intestine. These enables smooth bowel movement, prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes and diverticular disease. Dietary fibres contain combination of resistant starches, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Since indigestible, it consists of components of cell wall which are resistant to digestion by human digestive enzymes in small intestines. Dietary fibres form a part of total fibres. …show more content…

Health Benefits
1. Lowering serum cholesterol
Some soluble fibres bind to bile acids making them unfit to re-enter the body, which in turn lowers cholesterol levels in blood from the actions of cytochrome P450-mediated oxidation. Supplementation with viscous fibres particularly from legumes (beans, peas and lentils), such as pectins, guar gum etc are found to decrease total and LDL levels.
Three major biological mechanisms have been proposed to explain the cholesterol-reducing effects of SDF:
 Prevention of bile salt (BS) re-absorption from the small intestine leading to an excess faecal BS excretion;
 Reduced glycemic response leading to lower insulin stimulation of hepatic cholesterol synthesis;
 Physiological effects of fermentation products of SDF, mainly propionate

2. Controlling obesity
The primary cause of obesity is an increased ‘energy absorption:energy expenditure’ ratio. Increasing dietary fiber consumption may decrease energy absorption by diluting a diet’s energy availability. Dietary fiber’s ability to decrease body weight or attenuate weight gain could be contributed to several

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