Abstract
Dietary fiber (DF) is a polymer of high molecular weight carbohydrates which are not hydrolyzed by endogenous enzymes in the intestine of human beings, which are found in food and which have physiological effects beneficial for health. The major sources of DF are of plant origin: cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables and tubercles. DF can be classified in soluble (pectins, hemicelluloses, inulin, gums, mucilage, psyllium, and glucomannan] and insoluble (cellulose, hemicellulose, methylcellulose, lignin, and synthetic fibers) and has the ability to retain toxic substances ingested or produced in the alimentary tract during digestive processes, to reduce intestinal transit time, to promote rapid elimination of the fecal bolus, to reduce the time of contact of the intestinal mucosa with carcinogenic and mutagenic substances, to increase the microbial biomass, to reduce the pH of the medium, and to form protective substances by means of bacterial fermentation of food compounds. Although the literature has reported several effects of the intake of DF (reduction of coronary diseases, control of arterial hypertension, dyslipidemias, diabetes, cerebrovascular accidents, gastrointestinal disease, and cancer), little is known about the effect of DF on children’s health. The objective of the present study was to describe the main characteristics of DF, its role in the diet and its effects in the presence of two very common problems in the pediatric age range, i.e., constipation and obesity.

Keywords
dietary fibers – nutrition – children’s nutrition - puericulture

Cite this paper
Ieda Regina Lopes Del Ciampo, Luiz Antonio Del Ciampo, THE ROLE OF DIETARY FIBERS IN CHILDREN’S HEALTH , SCIREA Journal of Clinical Medicine. Volume 1, Issue 1, October 2016 | PP. 127-135.

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