Dietary fiber: its role in preventing gastrointestinal disease.

Only in relatively recent years has the role of dietary fiber, once thought to be an unnecessary and even undesirable by-product, begun to be appreciated in the maintenance of health. Research now indicates that a deficiency of fiber in the modern western diet may contribute to a host of diseases. Inadequate dietary fiber produces low fecal bulk, which in turn causes a high intraluminal pressure in the colon and may contribute to diverticular disease, appendicitis, and even carcinoma. This paper examines the evidence for these conclusions and the mechanisms for production of chronic gastrointestinal disease.