Abstract
To obtain a set of reference values for the intake of different types of dietary fibre in a healthy UK population. This descriptive cross-sectional study used the UK Biobank data to estimate the dietary patterns of healthy individuals. Data on fibre content in different foods were used to calculate the reference values which were then calibrated using real-world data on total fibre intake. UK Biobank is a prospective cohort study of over 500 000 individuals from across the United Kingdom with the participants aged between 40 and 69 years. UK Biobank contains information on over 500 000 participants. This study was performed using the data on 19 990 individuals (6941 men, 13 049 women) who passed stringent quality control and filtering procedures and had reported above-zero intake of the analysed foods. A set of reference values for the intake of six different types of soluble and insoluble fibres (cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin and lignin), including the corresponding totals, was developed and calibrated using real-world data. To our knowledge, this is the first study to establish specific reference values for the intake of different types of dietary fibre. It is well known that effects exerted by different types of fibre both directly and through modulation of microbiota are numerous. Conceivably, a deficit or excess intake of specific types of dietary fibre may detrimentally affect human health. Filling this knowledge gap opens new avenues for research in discussion in studies of nutrition and microbiota and offers valuable tools for practitioners worldwide.
Highlights
MethodsEstablishing the reference values for dietary intake requires a large sample representative of the whole population, and a method of collecting detailed information
We performed the adjustment by dividing the fibre intake values by the corresponding body weight
The resulting reference values and the median values for the healthy population are presented in Table 3 as grams of fibre per kilogram of body weight
Summary
Establishing the reference values for dietary intake requires a large sample representative of the whole population, and a method of collecting detailed information. For the UK population, such a database is provided by the UK Biobank, a prospective cohort study of over 500 000 individuals from across the United Kingdom. Participants aged between 40 and 69 years were invited to one of twenty-two centres across the UK between 2006 and 2010. Urine and saliva samples were collected, physical measurements were taken, and each individual answered an extensive questionnaire about health and lifestyle. Full UK Biobank protocol and rationale are available online[44]. Data access to UK Biobank was granted under application #36183
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