Indigestible material. Insoluble fibre, found in wheat ban and whole grains, passes through the digestive system quickly. This promotes regularity and helps reduce the risk of colon irregularities or diverticulosis, a type of colon disease. Research shows foods containing insoluble fibre may also help reduce the risk of colon and breast cancer when part of a low-fat diet. Soluble fibre is found in pasta. Studies indicate foods containing soluble fibre may help decrease cholesterol levels, help reduce the risk of heart disease and help control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Dietary fibres, sometimes also called roughage or nowadays replaced by the term non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), are only found in plants and consist mainly of cellulose, as in plants' cell walls. Furthermore, they are indigestible by the human digestive tract. Dietary fibres can further be categorised into two groups, i.e. soluble and insoluble dietary fibres. Soluble dietary fibres (SDF), e.g. gums, are suggested to lower the levels of total and "bad" cholesterol (LDL), whereas insoluble dietary fibres (IDF), such as cellulose, mainly serve as a bulk agent to help prevent constipation and keep the large intestine healthy.
Dietary fibre is the part of plant foods that humans cannot digest. Fibre is found in foods such as grains, cereals, legumes, seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruit. Fibre helps to promote and maintain good health. Eating foods that contain fibre every day is important to maintain the health of your digestive system. The most recent scientific evidence suggests that fibre can help in the treatment and prevention of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
The indigestible part of plant foods. Good dietary sources include wholegrains, wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes with their skins, fruit and vegetables.
In scientific terms, dietary fibre is a mixture of components derived from plant cell wall material and non-structural polysaccharides, as well as non-starch polysaccharides added to foods. It includes non-digestible polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, gums, pectins, mucilages and lignin. From a nutrition point of view, some authorities also include 'resistant starch' (i.e. starch that is resistant to enzymic degradation, usually as a result of processing).
fibrous substance in cereals, fruits, vegetables, seeds, etc. such as the structural polymers of cell walls: some fibres are fermented by bacteria in the colon.