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Unconventional Sources of Dietary Fiber: Physiological and In Vitro Functional Properties
Fd Chem. Toxic. Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 315 317, 1984
0278-6915/84 $3.00+0.00 Pergamon Press Ltd
Printed in Great Britain
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS Unconventional Sources of Dietary Fiber: Physiological and In Vitro Functional Properties. Edited by I. Furda. American Chemical Society, Washington, 1983. pp. x + 315. $70.95 (US/Canada $58.95). This volume brings together 20 papers presented to an American Chemical Society Symposium held in the Spring of 1982 to consider the physiological and metabolic effects of dietary fibre. Particular emphasis is given to the role of plant cell-wall material in the modification of gastro-intestinal function associated with certain disease states, namely diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. A number of original papers describe the effects of guar and pectin as well as other lesser known fibre sources (such as bean fibre) on gastrointestinal absorption. Other more exotic forms of fibre are also considered, some of them truly 'unconventional' (chitin, tobacco fibre and wheat straw for example). The beneficial effects of these materials on certain aspects of gut function may result from delayed gastric emptying or gel formation retarding the absorption of dietary lipid or carbohydrate. Some fibre components may also bind salts and thereby decrease lipid absorption. Other chapters consider the chemistry and structural characteristics of polysaccharide material from a range of plant sources, and include details on the processing of vegetable matter to yield semi-purified cell-wall material for research purposes. The remainder of the book reviews the role of dietary fibre in modifying (either by increasing or by decreasing) the incidence of chemically-induced bowel tumours in animal studies. Included is a report of the catabolism of plant gums, Maillard-reaction products and mammalian mucopolysaccharides by human colonic Bacteroides species cultured in vitro. The contents of this volume promote a greater awareness of dietary fibres other than the ever popular wheat bran, and of their role in the maintenance and modification of gastro-intestinal function. This makes the text vital reading for those concerned with this area of mammalian physiology.
Molecular Interrelations of Nutrition and Cancer. Edited by M. S. Arnott, J. van Eys & Y.-M. Wang. Raven Press, New York, 1982. pp. xvi + 474. $78.88.
cancer has been the subject of numerous symposia over the past decade. Many of these meetings have been concerned directly with medical aspects, particularly with the role of nutrition in the management of cancer. The volume named above contains the proceedings of the 34th Annual Symposium on Fundamental Cancer Research, held at the University of Texas in 1981. This considered the interrelationships between nutrition and cancer at the molecular level in cell-free systems, experimental animals and man. More than 30 papers are grouped in six sections covering nutritional components in the aetiology of cancer, nutritional and physiological effects in the cancer-bearing host, energy metabolism and nutrition in tumour cells, nutritional modulation of cell proliferation, nutritional modulation of cell transformation and modulation of carcinogenesis in the intact animal. There is inevitably some overlap between the topics dealt with in the various sections, and the logic for the juxtaposition of some of the contributions is not always clear. Three papers are concerned with zinc, selected to model the effect of a single nutrient on both animal and cellular systems--J. J. Stragand discusses the role of zinc in 1he regulation of the growth of normal and tumour cells in vivo, while R. A. Good and colleagues and T. R. Kramer & B. W. Highison discuss the role of zinc in immunity with particular reference to T-lymphocyte function. The effects of other micronutrients such as selenium, e-tocopherol and ascorbic acid are also considered, and the effects of macronutrients such as lipids and proteins are discussed extensively. In 1979 the US Surgeon General, in Heahhy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention--1979 (US Govt Printing Office, Washington, DC), stated that "the association between diet and cancer is more tenuous than between diet and heart disease". This sentiment has been echoed by many research workers interested in cancer, but this symposium has gone some way towards confirming at least a qualitative link between nutrition and cancer. The volume is well presented and can be recommended as a comprehensive coverage of current thinking and research on the problems associated with diet, nutrition and the development of cancer.
The incidence of cancer varies considerably between countries and it is generally agreed that our 'environment', in its broadest sense, plays a pivotal role in both the initiation and promotion of this group of diseases. It is probable that the most important environmental source of carcinogens is our diet, and it is arguable that nutritional status may be an important mediator, either directly or indirectly, in the expression of the consequences of exposure to dietary carcinogens. The interaction of nutrition and 315
Structure-Activity Correlation as a Predictive Tool in Toxicology: Fundamentals, Methods, and Applications. Edited by L. Golberg. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, 1983. pp. xx + 330. $49.50. In a recently published list of suggestions for reducing the use of animals in toxicological research and toxicity testing, the Toxicity Committee of the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical
0278-6915/84 $3.00+0.00 Pergamon Press Ltd
Printed in Great Britain
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS Unconventional Sources of Dietary Fiber: Physiological and In Vitro Functional Properties. Edited by I. Furda. American Chemical Society, Washington, 1983. pp. x + 315. $70.95 (US/Canada $58.95). This volume brings together 20 papers presented to an American Chemical Society Symposium held in the Spring of 1982 to consider the physiological and metabolic effects of dietary fibre. Particular emphasis is given to the role of plant cell-wall material in the modification of gastro-intestinal function associated with certain disease states, namely diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. A number of original papers describe the effects of guar and pectin as well as other lesser known fibre sources (such as bean fibre) on gastrointestinal absorption. Other more exotic forms of fibre are also considered, some of them truly 'unconventional' (chitin, tobacco fibre and wheat straw for example). The beneficial effects of these materials on certain aspects of gut function may result from delayed gastric emptying or gel formation retarding the absorption of dietary lipid or carbohydrate. Some fibre components may also bind salts and thereby decrease lipid absorption. Other chapters consider the chemistry and structural characteristics of polysaccharide material from a range of plant sources, and include details on the processing of vegetable matter to yield semi-purified cell-wall material for research purposes. The remainder of the book reviews the role of dietary fibre in modifying (either by increasing or by decreasing) the incidence of chemically-induced bowel tumours in animal studies. Included is a report of the catabolism of plant gums, Maillard-reaction products and mammalian mucopolysaccharides by human colonic Bacteroides species cultured in vitro. The contents of this volume promote a greater awareness of dietary fibres other than the ever popular wheat bran, and of their role in the maintenance and modification of gastro-intestinal function. This makes the text vital reading for those concerned with this area of mammalian physiology.
Molecular Interrelations of Nutrition and Cancer. Edited by M. S. Arnott, J. van Eys & Y.-M. Wang. Raven Press, New York, 1982. pp. xvi + 474. $78.88.
cancer has been the subject of numerous symposia over the past decade. Many of these meetings have been concerned directly with medical aspects, particularly with the role of nutrition in the management of cancer. The volume named above contains the proceedings of the 34th Annual Symposium on Fundamental Cancer Research, held at the University of Texas in 1981. This considered the interrelationships between nutrition and cancer at the molecular level in cell-free systems, experimental animals and man. More than 30 papers are grouped in six sections covering nutritional components in the aetiology of cancer, nutritional and physiological effects in the cancer-bearing host, energy metabolism and nutrition in tumour cells, nutritional modulation of cell proliferation, nutritional modulation of cell transformation and modulation of carcinogenesis in the intact animal. There is inevitably some overlap between the topics dealt with in the various sections, and the logic for the juxtaposition of some of the contributions is not always clear. Three papers are concerned with zinc, selected to model the effect of a single nutrient on both animal and cellular systems--J. J. Stragand discusses the role of zinc in 1he regulation of the growth of normal and tumour cells in vivo, while R. A. Good and colleagues and T. R. Kramer & B. W. Highison discuss the role of zinc in immunity with particular reference to T-lymphocyte function. The effects of other micronutrients such as selenium, e-tocopherol and ascorbic acid are also considered, and the effects of macronutrients such as lipids and proteins are discussed extensively. In 1979 the US Surgeon General, in Heahhy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention--1979 (US Govt Printing Office, Washington, DC), stated that "the association between diet and cancer is more tenuous than between diet and heart disease". This sentiment has been echoed by many research workers interested in cancer, but this symposium has gone some way towards confirming at least a qualitative link between nutrition and cancer. The volume is well presented and can be recommended as a comprehensive coverage of current thinking and research on the problems associated with diet, nutrition and the development of cancer.
The incidence of cancer varies considerably between countries and it is generally agreed that our 'environment', in its broadest sense, plays a pivotal role in both the initiation and promotion of this group of diseases. It is probable that the most important environmental source of carcinogens is our diet, and it is arguable that nutritional status may be an important mediator, either directly or indirectly, in the expression of the consequences of exposure to dietary carcinogens. The interaction of nutrition and 315
Structure-Activity Correlation as a Predictive Tool in Toxicology: Fundamentals, Methods, and Applications. Edited by L. Golberg. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, 1983. pp. xx + 330. $49.50. In a recently published list of suggestions for reducing the use of animals in toxicological research and toxicity testing, the Toxicity Committee of the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical