Fiber and satiety

<p dir="ltr">Dietary fiber has received much support from leading scientific authorities for the role it plays in satiety control. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that high fiber content of foods, in particular whole grains, helps “you feel full with less calories.” The National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board also recognizes the satiety benefits of dietary fiber stating that high-fiber diets delay stomach emptying, which increases the amount of time for energy and nutrients to get absorbed from the digestive tract. Fibers tend to show good correlation to satiety but results are variable most likely due to the diverse physicochemical and gastrointestinal transit behavior of these materials. This chapter reviews the most relevant satiety clinical studies with a focus on fibers and hydrocolloids. This chapter will also address the definitions of satiation and satiety, clinical methods for measuring satiety, and physiological mechanisms of appetite regulation and control of food intakes.</p>