Dietary fibre in human nutrition

Abstract Is vegetable fibre a necessary constituent of the diet? Certain diseases, largely colonic are more prevalent in western countries. Epidemiological studies suggest that this is a consequence of the low fibre content of the diet. The main action of fibre is in the colon. An approach to fibre studies is by defining physical characteristics in fibre which could alter colonic function. It is only when the chemistry of fibre is better defined that meaningful relationships between fibre constituents and disease can be made.