Nutritional Role of Dietary Fiber-Recent Knowledge on Dietary fiber

식이섬유의 주요기능

Non-absorbable substances in foods, for instance dietary fiber had been previously known as a non-nutritive part of foods. Recently , such a category has been gradually changed to as one of nutrients, As a main reason, dietary fibers includes many poly-or oligo-saccharides, which as resistant to alimentary hydrolyzing enzyme, However, parts of them are fermented by intestinal micro-organism to produce short chain fatty acids and so on. They are absorbed and utilized by human being. Now, it may be naturally accepted that dietary fiber is a kind of nutrients. Dietary fiber exerts many useful functions on body. They are classified into three large function , physicochemical function, physiological function and biological function. The last function of dietary fiber will be presented in the symphosium. Dietary fiber has several kinds of nutritional properties. One is energy source. Short chain fatty acids(SCFA) are oxidized and produced energy in body. Dietary fiber has not high energy, but not zero kilocalories. Another one is to be a constitutional component of higher animals' tissue. Last but most important one is physiological functions of dietary fiber.