Dietary fiber – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

  • Harald Carlsen Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
  • Anne-Maria Pajari University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v67.9979
Keywords: dietary fibre, carbohydrates, non-communicable diseases, recommendations, polysaccharides, resistant starch, nonstarch oligosaccharides, lignin, gut microbiome

Abstract

Dietary fiber is a term crudely defined as carbohydrates (CHOs) that escape digestion and uptake in the small intestine. Lignin, which is not a CHO, is also a part of the dietary fiber definition. Dietary fibers come in different sizes and forms, with a variety of combinations of monomeric units. Health authorities worldwide have for many years recommended a diet rich in dietary fibers based on consistent findings that dietary fibers are associated with reduced incidences of major non-communicable diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colorectal cancer. Most fibers come from common edible foods from the plant kingdom, but fibers are also found in food additives, supplements, and breast milk. The recommended intake in Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2012 (NNR2012) is 25 g/d for women and 35 g/d for men, whereas the actual intake is significantly lower, ranging from 16 g/d to 22 g/d in women and 18 g/d to 26 g/d in men. New studies since NNR2012 confirm the current view that dietary fiber is beneficial for health, advocating intakes of at least 25 g/day.

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Published
2023-10-18
How to Cite
Carlsen H., & Pajari A.-M. (2023). Dietary fiber – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023. Food & Nutrition Research, 67. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v67.9979
Issue
Vol 67 (2023)
Section
Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
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