Nondigestible carbohydrates

GREGERj L (1999) Nondigestible carbohydrates and mineral bioavailability. 129 1434S-5S. 

Fiber Dietary fiber is defined as the nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin (a complex polymer of phenylpropanoid subunits) pres ent in plants. Several different terms are used to described this complex group of compounds. For example, functional fiber is the... 

Fernandez, M.L. 2001. Soluble fiber and nondigestible carbohydrate effects on plasma lipids and cardiovascular risk. Curr. Opin. Lipidol 12, 35-40. 

Carbohydrates which are digestible appear to have no dramatic effect on metabolism of xenobiotics however, the nondigestible carbohydrates can mediate the toxicity of a xenobiotic. Dietary fiber can reduce nutrient availability by absorbtion of certain minerals and/or vitamins. Inclusion in the diet of fiber has been associated with a lower incidence of colon cancer, and this... 

In the same experiments, different classical fiber mixtures in a similar dose to the GOS/lcFOS mixture were tested. There was no effect of these fibers on the measured parameter of the immune system, indicating that different nondigestible carbohydrates react differently with respect to intestinal microbiota and immune function (71). 

Bouhnik, Y. et al.. The capacity of nondigestible carbohydrates to stimulate fecal bifidobacteria in healthy humans A double-bUnd, randomized, placebo-controUed, paraUel-group, dose-response relation study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 80,1658, 2004. 

Anderson J.W., Hanna T.J., Impact of nondigestible carbohydrates on serum lipoproteins and risk for cardiovascular disease, J. Nutr., 129(7), 1999, 1457-1466. 

It must be emphasized that none of the effects of butyrate in vitro have been duplicated in vivo, but they are of great promise and supportive evidence continues to accumulate. This is especially true for RS which appears to produce relatively more butyrate than other nondigestible carbohydrates. However, consideration may also need to be given to the existence of interindividual differences in the fermentative capacity of the microflora, the fact that RS from different sources may be fermented to different extents, and the actual colonic site at which fermentation takes place (i.e., whether in the proximal or distal colon). 

Verghese, M., Walker, L. T., Shackelford, L. Chandramohan, B. (2005). Inhibitory effects of nondigestible carbohydrates of different chain lengths on azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci in Fisher 344 rats. Nutritional Research, 25,859-868. 

Vos, A. P., M Rabet, L., Stahl, B., Boehm, G. Garssen, J. (2007). Immune-modulatory effects and potential working mechanisms of orally applied nondigestible carbohydrates. 

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