Resumo

CABRERA LLANO, Jorge Luis  e  CARDENAS FERRER, Mercedes. Importance of dietary fibre for human nutrition. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.4. ISSN 0864-2125.

The inclusion of dietary fiber in the daily diet of the human beings seems to play an important role for the prevention and treatment of some chronic diseases. The purpose of this review is to offer an updating on the publication of the latest advances related to the usefulness of the dietary fiber for health and against the diseases. The decrease of arterial hypertension, the reduction of the risk for colorectal cancer, the colesterol lowering effect, the lower risk for cardiovascular disease, and the better control of type 2 diabetes mellitus, are among the benefits of an adequate intake of dietary fiber. Although there have been proposed different mechanisms through which the benefits are reported, there are no conclusive results yet, but it is established that the increase of cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables in the diet favors the preservation of health and the control of some chronic diseases.

Palavras-chave : Dietary fiber; arterial hypertension,; cardiovascular disease; cancer; diabetes mellitus.