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Review
. 2023 Sep 25;15(19):4138.
doi: 10.3390/nu15194138.

Beyond Insoluble Dietary Fiber: Bioactive Compounds in Plant Foods

Madeline Timm  1 , Lisa C Offringa  2 , B Jan-Willem Van Klinken  2 , Joanne Slavin  1
Affiliations
Review

Beyond Insoluble Dietary Fiber: Bioactive Compounds in Plant Foods

Madeline Timm et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Consumption of plant foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, pulses, nuts, and seeds, is linked to improved health outcomes. Dietary fiber is a nutrient in plant foods that is associated with improved health outcomes, including a lower risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Different fibers deliver different health benefits based on their physiochemical properties (solubility, viscosity) and physiological effects (fermentability). Additionally, plant foods contain more than dietary fiber and are rich sources of bioactives, which also provide health benefits. The concept of the solubility of fiber was introduced in the 1970s as a method to explain physiological effects, an idea that is no longer accepted. Dividing total dietary fiber (TDF) into insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) is an analytical distinction, and recent work finds that IDF intake is linked to a wide range of health benefits beyond increased stool weight. We have focused on the IDF content of plant foods and linked the concept of IDF to the bioactives in plant foods. Ancestral humans might have consumed as much as 100 g of dietary fiber daily, which also delivered bioactives that may be more important protective compounds in disease prevention. Isolating fibers to add to human diets may be of limited usefulness unless bioactives are included in the isolated fiber supplement.

Keywords: bioactives; dietary fiber; fruits; health; lignin; phytochemicals; plant foods; polyphenol; vegetables.

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Conflict of interest statement

M.T. has no conflict of interest to declare. B. J.-W.V.K. and L.C.O. are employees of Brightseed. B. J.-W.V.K. and L.C.O. were involved in the study design, provided expertise on bioactives, reviewed drafts of the review, and supported publication of the research. In the past 5 years, J.S. has received research funds from USDA, NIH, Taiyo, Barilla, and the Institute on the Environment (University of Minnesota). J.S. serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Simply Good Foods, the Sustainable Nutrition Scientific Board, and the Quality Carbohydrate Coalition. She owns and manages the Slavin Sisters Farm LLC, a 119-acre mixed-use family farm in Walworth, WI.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual model depicting the key questions framing the review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Results of the literature search and screen.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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