Stephen A M
J Hum Nutr. 1981 Dec;35(6):403-14.
Controversy continues over the role of dietary fibre in health, and whether or not a standard fibre intake should be recommended for the UK. In this review an attempt is made to consider the evidence for and against making such a recommendation. In doing so, it is clear that many problems exist in studies examining the role of fibre in disease, such as the inherent inadequacies of epidemiological studies and distrust of such studies by some circles, or the lack of uniformity in definition of dietary fibre and in its chemical analysis. The effect of fibre on faecal bulking is given as an example of experimental verification of epidemiological findings which has led to the widespread use of fibre in treating diverticular disease and constipation. Evidence of beneficial effects for cancer of the colon and ischaemic heart disease are far less convincing. Few harmful effects of fibre have been documented, apart from continuing disagreement regarding fibre and mineral balance, a question which remains to be solved. On weighing the evidence, it is suggested that recommending higher-fibre intakes in the UK is a favourable guideline. The type of fibre to be recommended is discussed, based on new evidence of the mode of action of different types of fibre in the gastrointestinal tract, and the amount of fibre considered, in relation to intakes in other countries and in the past in the UK.
膳食纤维在健康中的作用以及是否应为英国推荐标准的纤维摄入量，这一争议仍在继续。在本综述中，我们试图考量支持和反对做出此类推荐的证据。在此过程中，很明显，在研究纤维在疾病中的作用时存在许多问题，例如流行病学研究本身存在的不足以及一些圈子对这类研究的不信任，或者膳食纤维定义及其化学分析缺乏一致性。纤维对粪便体积的影响被作为流行病学研究结果实验验证的一个例子，这导致纤维在治疗憩室病和便秘方面得到广泛应用。关于结肠癌和缺血性心脏病有益作用的证据则远不那么令人信服。除了关于纤维与矿物质平衡仍存在分歧这一有待解决的问题外，几乎没有记录到纤维的有害影响。权衡证据后，建议在英国推荐更高的纤维摄入量是一个有利的指导方针。基于不同类型纤维在胃肠道作用方式的新证据，以及与其他国家和英国过去摄入量相关的考虑纤维量，我们讨论了应推荐的纤维类型。
