New Tool for Fiber Research

ILSI North America is pleased to announce the launch of the Dietary Fiber and Health Outcomes database.

The database “was developed to serve as a resource to assist health researchers in linking fibers to a variety of health outcomes in a quick and efficient manner” with enough flexibility so researchers can compare health outcomes associated with fiber-rich food sources (e.g., cereal fibers vs fibers from fruits and vegetables) as well as among food components (e.g., cellulos and lignin vs. pictins and gums).

The database was developed by Tufts University (principle investigator, Nicola McKeown, PhD) with financial and technical support from ILSI North America’s Technical Committee on Dietary Carbohydrates. Working together, Tufts and ILSI North America developed the tool which met five specific objectives:

  • Systematically compile and provide access to primary, English-language, peer-reviewed science linking dietary fiber intake in humans to one or more of 9 potential health benefits
  • Provide researchers with a tool to understand how different fibers are characterized in studies
  • Facilitate researchers in identifying gaps in the current research
  • Create a database to serve as a starting foundation of primary human literature for conducting evidence-based reviews and meta-analyses
  • Efficiently assist researchers in identifying fibers of interest

ILSI North America’s work on dietary fiber, which goes back to the 1980s, has addressed definitions of dietary fiber; science related to dietary recommendations for fiber; fiber and specific health effects; and fiber and weight management. The Dietary Fiber and Health Outcomes database is a milestone in ILSI North America’s achievements.

The database, user’s manual, and documentation of methods are publicly available to all researchers, free of charge.

 

ILSI News | September 2016
Back to Newsletter