The clinical implications of dietary fiber.

Abstract

In the decade since Trowell and Burkitt (1975) hypothesized that many diseases seen in the West were due to overconsumption of refined carbohydrate foods, there has been a rekindling of interest in many hitherto neglected aspects of human nutrition. This in turn has been reflected in the pronouncements of official bodies concerned with health and public policy (American Diabetes Association, 1979; Canadian Diabetes Association, 1981; British Diabetic Association, 1981; U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, 1977; American Heart Association, 1982) and by the generous coverage given in the popular press to some of the issues involved (Alen, 1982; Engel, 1982; Fellman, 1982; Gillie, 1977). However, interest in the possible value of plant foods is not solely the result of the ’fiber hypothesis.’ The drive to substitute unsaturated for saturated fat during previous decades was a force acting in the same direction. Both moves implicitly favored a reduction in the intake of animal products and an increased consumption of plant foods.