Walker A R
S Afr Med J. 1977 Oct 29;52(19):767-70.
In many different parts of the world the pattern of diseases has changed or is changing from one mainly of infections to one of degenerative diseases. Simultaneously, alterations in the pattern of diet have occurred or are occurring. A major alteration is depletion of fibre-containing foods of high bulk-forming capacity. Epidemiological evidence, short-term studies on man and experimental investigations on animals suggest that fibre-depleted diets are a major, or perhaps even the basic cause of the increasing prevalence of several degenerative diseases. Although much further research is essential, available evidence warrants recommending an increase in the intake of fibre-containing foods, especially those of cereal origin.
在世界许多不同地区，疾病模式已经或正在从主要是感染性疾病转变为退行性疾病。与此同时，饮食模式已经或正在发生变化。一个主要变化是具有高容积形成能力的含纤维食物的减少。流行病学证据、对人类的短期研究以及对动物的实验研究表明，缺乏纤维的饮食是几种退行性疾病患病率不断上升的主要原因，甚至可能是根本原因。尽管还需要进行大量进一步的研究，但现有证据支持建议增加含纤维食物的摄入量，尤其是谷物类来源的食物。
