Dietary fiber (fiber) is part of plant cells resistant to the action of enzymes in the human digestive system.

In its chemical composition, dietary fiber is a heterogeneous group of substances that are polysaccharides and lignin. Polysaccharides include all known cellulose, pectins and lesser known hemicellulose, gums, mucus. The content of dietary fiber in food varies widely from 45-55% (bran) to 0% in foods such as sugar, sour cream, premium flour. The role of fiber was fully disclosed only in the last 10-15 years. An important role in this was played by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, after which the question arose about the use of accessible and effective mass-scale prevention tools among the population living on radionuclide-contaminated territories. Fiber is not digested in the digestive tract, reaches the colon in unchanged form, where it is partially cleaved by the microflora of the intestine.

Why do we need dietary fiber?.

Fiber functions are quite diverse. It provides a sufficient amount of feces and regulates the rate of their movement through the intestines, lowers blood cholesterol, binds bile acids, in case of violations of carbohydrate metabolism it has a mild hypoglycemic effect, normalizes the composition of the intestinal microflora.

Given the rapid changes in the nature of nutrition in recent years, with the predominance of products depleted of dietary fiber, the acute issue is the compensation of this deficiency, as the basis for the prevention of many disorders and diseases. The diet enriched with dietary fiber is actively used as one of the components of the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus, obesity, atherosclerosis, hemorrhoids, liver and gallbladder diseases, dysbiosis. Currently, a whole series of products has been developed, mainly on the basis of pectins, which help to remove heavy metals, radioactive elements, toxins of different origin from the body. Deficiency of dietary fiber in the diet increases the risk of developing bowel cancer, dysbiosis. They are an essential component of normal nutrition and, in their importance, not inferior to other necessary components of food (proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements).

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