Figure 6.

Beneficial effects of dietary fibers in humans. The ingestible parts of plants help to speed up the elimination of toxic waste in the digestive tract through promoting bowel movement in the colon and reacting with bacteria in the lower colon, thereby producing short chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, butyrate) causing cancer cells to self-destruct. Inadequate fiber intake during malnutrition results in distortion of the mucosa, reduced intestinal barrier function, and inflammation. Similarly, fiber-free diets provoke degradation of mucus layer and barrier dysfunction in mouse.