M. A. Guevara (1), G. C. FAHEY (1)
(1) University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, U.S.A.
Cereal Foods World 56:A4
2011 AACC International Annual Meeting
http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/CPLEX-2011-1006-04W
Of the health claims allowed by FDA, five are related to dietary fiber and three are specific to fiber and cancer. There is, therefore, strong support for dietary fiber nutritional interventions when considering improvements in colonic health indices. Today, Americans are ingesting about 50% of the DRI fiber recommendation. In order to achieve a fiber intake of 25–38 g/day (the DRI recommendation), carbohydrates other than traditional dietary fibers will be needed. Two such carbohydrate categories are oligosaccharides and resistant starches. In this presentation, we will discuss (a) properties of carbohydrates that contribute to their action in the gastrointestinal tract, (b) colonic function and physiology to include health issues that may occur with the colon, (c) the evidence that exists for the role of fermentable carbohydrates in maintenance/improvement of colonic health, (d) the nature of the carbohydrates that reach the colon, and (e) the relationship between carbohydrate properties and colonic health to include physicochemical properties and those of the gut microbiota. There are many carbohydrates to choose from to ensure proper colonic health of humans. The challenge is to provide them in a form that is efficacious from the colonic metabolism perspective while being sufficiently acceptable such that adequate intakes are assured.
2011 AACCI Carbohydrates and Colonic Health
