It is customary for researchers to describe ‘fiber’ as a group of polysaccharides that refused to breakdown in the digestive tract. But this definition is not very correct because
1. polysaccharides are not the only type of nutrients that share the features of fiber
2. most fibers are being used by the body after fermented by bacteria in the big intestine

Prominent attribute of fibers is their sole presence in plants and plant foods, whereas, animal foods do not provide us with it. The carbohydrate fibers consist of celluloses, hemicelluloses, pectins and fructans or ployfructoses. The main non-carbohydrate fibers are the lignins which is an important part of many cell wall structures in plants. Dietary fibers are found in vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. On the contrary, it is the unprocessed whole foods that provide you with higher fiber benefits than the heavily processed fiber-rich food as it will lose its fiber-rich qualities.

Fair number of studies support an affiliation between high-fiber diets and the reduction of many types of cancers e.g. colon and breast cancer. These benefits arise from the ability of the fiber to bind and remove toxins and to promote healthy digestion. Another recent research declares that fiber has the health-protecting benefits to promote healthy intestinal tract bacteria.

The ‘friendly flora’ or beneficial symbiotic microbes in your big intestine are essential to your body’s health by promoting healthy immune function and provide essential molecules to your intestinal tract cells to promote their growth, hence maintaining an overall wholeness intestinal tract. These microbes use some of the fibers as fuel for their growth and by their own metabolism produce molecules called Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA). The production of SCFA, are linked to the decrease in cancerous colonic cells, reduction of serum cholesterol, the sustenance of healthy blood sugar levels and intestinal tract cell walls.

However, not all fiber is fermented by the friendly-microbes in your intestinal tract. Some fiber pass through your system unchanged, binding toxins and waste products as it goes, thus promoting healthy discharge. Nevertheless, fibers are special nutrients when it comes to health benefits but is important to take large quantity of fiber. This quantity is at least 25 grams per day for an adult female and 38 grams per day for adult male.

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