Abstract
Most official food composition tables and food questionnaires do not provide enough data to assess fermentable dietary fibers (DF) that can exert a health effect through their interaction with the gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to develop a database and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) allowing detailed DF intake estimation including prebiotic (oligo)saccharides. A repertoire of DF detailing total, soluble DF, insoluble DF and prebiotic (oligo)saccharides (inulin-type fructans, fructo-oligosaccharides and galacto-oligosaccharides) in food products consumed in Europe has been established. A 12 month FFQ was developed and submitted to 15 healthy volunteers from the FiberTAG study. Our data report a total DF intake of 38 g/day in the tested population. Fructan and fructo-oligosaccharides intake, linked notably to condiments (garlic and onions) ingestion, reached 5 and 2 g/day, respectively, galacto-oligosaccharides intake level being lower (1 g/day). We conclude that the FiberTAG repertoire and FFQ are major tools for the evaluation of the total amount of DF including prebiotics. Their use can be helpful in intervention or observational studies devoted to analyze microbiota–nutrient interactions in different pathological contexts, as well as to revisit DF intake recommendations as part of healthy lifestyles considering specific DF.
Highlights
Dietary fibers (DF) are non-digestible plant polysaccharides found in high amounts in fruits, vegetables and cereals
Those databases were deeply completed by adding soluble versus insoluble dietary fibers (DF) content and for prebioticsaccharide levels (ITF, FOS, GOS) in food products coming from 10 scientific publications [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23]
Latin names were detailed for vegetal items and preparation or cooking was detailed for some food products
Summary
Dietary fibers (DF) are non-digestible plant polysaccharides found in high amounts in fruits, vegetables and cereals. They have been shown to have important effects on human health, including preventing and alleviating constipation, reducing gastrointestinal cancer incidence and blood glucose levels, lowering blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and beneficially modulating gut microbiota [1]. Some criteria like DF solubility merit to be revisited taking into account of their physiological effect. It is a widely accepted opinion that insoluble fibers are non-fermentable and soluble fibers are fermentable, almost all types of DF are fermentable, fully or to some extent [2]. Some general statements can be made: soluble-resistant (not viscous) oligosaccharides are highly fermentable in the colon
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