Abstract
BackgroundDietary fiber is a broad category of compounds historically defined as partially or completely indigestible plant-based carbohydrates and lignin with, more recently, the additional criteria that fibers incorporated into foods as additives should demonstrate functional human health outcomes to receive a fiber classification. Thousands of research studies have been published examining fibers and health outcomes.Objectives(1) Develop a database listing studies testing fiber and physiological health outcomes identified by experts at the Ninth Vahouny Conference; (2) Use evidence mapping methodology to summarize this body of literature. This paper summarizes the rationale, methodology, and resulting database. The database will help both scientists and policy-makers to evaluate evidence linking specific fibers with physiological health outcomes, and identify missing information.MethodsTo build this database, we conducted a systematic literature search for human intervention studies published in English from 1946 to May 2015. Our search strategy included a broad definition of fiber search terms, as well as search terms for nine physiological health outcomes identified at the Ninth Vahouny Fiber Symposium. s were screened using a priori defined eligibility criteria and a low threshold for inclusion to minimize the likelihood of rejecting articles of interest. Publications then were reviewed in full text, applying additional a priori defined exclusion criteria. The database was built and published on the Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR™), a web-based, publicly available application.ConclusionsA fiber database was created. This resource will reduce the unnecessary replication of effort in conducting systematic reviews by serving as both a central database archiving PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) data on published studies and as a searchable tool through which this data can be extracted and updated.
Highlights
Creating a database that captures all fiber types is challenging due to the large number of studies and diversity in fiber sources and composition [1]
Our search strategy included a broad definition of fiber search terms, as well as search terms for nine physiological health outcomes identified at the Ninth Vahouny Fiber Symposium
This resource will reduce the unnecessary replication of effort in conducting systematic reviews by serving as both a central database archiving PICO data on published studies and as a searchable tool through which this data can be extracted and updated
Summary
Creating a database that captures all fiber types is challenging due to the large number of studies and diversity in fiber sources and composition [1]. The term “fiber” includes both dietary fiber which is endogenous to food and functional fiber which is extracted or synthesized [3]. As shown in the schematic illustration (Fig 1) reflective of the various levels of fiber, fiber can be a group of physically related compounds (e.g., non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) or oligosaccharides), synthetic or purified fibers in the form of supplements, individual isolated fiber (e.g., pectin and gum), enriched ingredients (e.g., oat bran, psyllium, or lupin kernel flour enriched breads), or described based on food sources (e.g. legumes or cereals). Dietary fiber is a broad category of compounds historically defined as partially or completely indigestible plant-based carbohydrates and lignin with, more recently, the additional criteria that fibers incorporated into foods as additives should demonstrate functional human health outcomes to receive a fiber classification. Thousands of research studies have been published examining fibers and health outcomes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
