Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber comprises carbohydrate polymers and related substances in food that resist digestion and absorption in the human small intestine. Some fibers are fermented by microbes in the large intestine.

Soluble fiber: Dietary fiber that dissolves or disperses in water, often forming viscous solutions. Its water interactions explain effects such as gel formation and slowed nutrient absorption.
Gut microbiota: The community of microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract. Microbes ferment some fibers that human digestive enzymes cannot break down.
Dietary Reference Intake: A set of nutrient intake reference values established for assessing and planning diets. Its recommendations specify adequate daily fiber intake by age and sex.
Dietary fiber analysis: Laboratory methods for measuring fiber in foods and dietary samples. Analytical methods determine which substances count toward reported fiber content.
Insoluble fiber: Dietary fiber that does not dissolve in water, including cellulose and some hemicelluloses. Its structure helps increase stool bulk and support intestinal transit.
Short-chain fatty acids: Fatty acids with fewer than six carbon atoms, produced largely by microbial fermentation in the colon. They are major products of colonic fiber fermentation and can be absorbed by the host.
Constipation: A condition involving infrequent bowel movements or difficult passage of stool. Certain fibers increase stool water or bulk and can help relieve it.
Total dietary fiber: The combined amount of dietary fiber measured in a food or diet. It distinguishes an aggregate quantity from the individual fiber types listed elsewhere.
Resistant starch: Starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine and reaches the colon. It is a fermentable fiber found in foods such as cooled potatoes and legumes.
Colonic fermentation: Microbial breakdown of substrates in the large intestine, producing gases and metabolites. It converts fermentable fiber into short-chain fatty acids and other compounds.

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