Definition of Dietary Fiber
Originally, fiber was defined to be the components of plants that resist human digestive enzymes, a definition that includes lignin and polysaccharides. The definition was later changed to also include resistant starches, along with inulin and other oligosaccharides.
Official definition of dietary fiber differs a little among different institutions:
| Organization (reference) | Definition |
|---|---|
| Institute of Medicine | Dietary fiber consists of nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants. Functional fiber consists of isolated, nondigestible carbohydrates that have beneficial physiologic effects in humans. Total fiber is the sum of dietary fiber and functional fiber. |
| American Association of Cereal Chemists | Dietary fiber is the edible parts of plants or analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine, with complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine. Dietary fiber includes polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, lignin, and associated plant substances. Dietary fibers promote beneficial physiologic effects including laxation, and/or blood cholesterol attenuation, and/or blood glucose attenuation. |
| Codex Alimentarius Commission | Dietary fiber means carbohydrate polymers1 with ≥10 monomeric units2, which are not hydrolyzed by the endogenous enzymes in the small intestine of humans and belong to the following categories: |
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