Editorial1 May 1974Dietary Fibre and the Pattern of DiseasesALEXANDER R. P. WALKER, D.SC.ALEXANDER R. P. WALKER, D.SC.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-80-5-663 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn many parts of the world there has been a dramatic change in disease pattern from one predominantly of infections to one of degenerative diseases. The contrasting populations are our ancestors compared with ourselves, rural compared with town populations in developing countries, and persons in the developing countries compared with those who have settled in "Western" countries.During man's transition from primitiveness to sophistication, the mortality rate of the young has fallen enormously. This gratifying situation, however, masks the fact that after middle age the gain in life expectation has been disappointingly small.Aetiologically, the conditions and diseases that have...References1. BRUNTON T: On constipation and diarrhoea. Lancet 1:1483-1486, 1896 CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. TREVES F: Perityphlitis, in A System of Medicine, vol. 3, edited by ALLBUTT TC. New York, Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1897, pp. 879-937 Google Scholar3. MCEWEN W: The function of the caecum and appendix. Br Med J 2:873-878, 1904 MedlineGoogle Scholar4. MCCARRISON R: Problems of nutrition in India. Abstr Nutr Rev 2:1-8, 1932 Google Scholar5. MAYO C: The appendix in relation to, or as the cause of, other abdominal diseases. JAMA 83:592-593, 1924 CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. WALKER A: Some aspects of nutritional research in South Africa. Nutr Rev 14:321-324, 1956 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. WALKER A: Appendicitis, fibre intake and bowel behaviour in ethnic groups in South Africa. Postgrad Med J 49:243-249, 1973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. CLEAVE T, CAMPBELL G, and PAINTER N: Diabetes, Coronary Thrombosis, and the Saccharine Diseases. Bristol, John Wright & Sons, Ltd., 1969 Google Scholar9. BURKITT D: Some diseases characteristic of modern western civilization. Br Med J 1:274-278, 1973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. BURKITT D: Some diseases characteristic of modern western civilization. A possible common causative factor. Clin Radiol 24:271-280, 1973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. PAINTER N, ALMEIDA A, and COLEBOURNE K: Unprocessed bran in treatment of diverticular disease of the colon. Br Med J 2:137-140, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. TROWELL H: Dietary fibre and coronary heart disease. Eur J Clin Biol Res 17:345-349, 1972 MedlineGoogle Scholar13. YUDKIN J: Sweet and Dangerous. New York, Peter H. Wyden, Inc., 1972 Google Scholar14. BANKS A and MAGEE H: Effects of enemy occupation on the state of health and nutrition in the Channel Islands. Mth Bull Minist Hlth Lab Serv 4:184-187, 1945 Google Scholar15. HILL M, CROWTHER J, and DRASER B: Bacteria and aetiology of cancer of the large bowel. Lancet 1:95-99, 1971 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. REDDY B and WYNDER E: Large bowel carcinogenesis: fecal constituents of populations with diverse incidence rates of colonic cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 50:1437-1442, 1973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. POMARE E and HEATON K: Alteration of bile salt metabolism by dietary fibre (bran). Br Med J 4:262-264, 1973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: ALEXANDER R. P. WALKER, D.SC.Affiliations: South African Medical Research Council Human Biochemistry Research Unit The South African Institute for Medical Research Johannesburg South Africa PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byNutritive characteristics, physiological effects and health importance of dietary fiberDietary fibre functional productsNutriceuticals in Cardiovascular DiseaseDietary fibre from vegetable products as source of functional ingredientsDIETARY FIBER: How Did We Get Where We Are?Canine functional foodsDietary Fibre in Health and DiseaseDietary fibre functional productsThe Evolving Epidemiology of Fiber and Heart DiseaseThe Dietary Fibre Hypothesis: A Historical PerspectiveFunctional Properties of Extrudates from High Starch Fractions of Navy and Pinto Beans and Corn Meal Blended with Legume High Protein FractionsOats and cholesterol: the prospects for prevention of heart disease.Dietary Fiber for Reducing Blood CholesterolComposition of fruit, vegetable and cereal dietary fibreQuackery and Fad DietsGastrointestinal response in rats to vibration and restraintWestern Diseases and Dietary Changes with Special Reference to FibreEffects of some cereal brans and textured vegetable protein on plasma lipidsReview of Laxative Utilization in a Skilled Nursing FacilityThe development of the concept of dietary fiber in human nutritionFood and Dietary FibreColonic cancer?Hypotheses of causation, dietary prophylaxis, and future researchDefinition of dietary fiber and hypotheses that it is a protective factor in certain diseasesGastrointestinal Diseases and Fiber Intake with Special Reference to South African PopulationsEffect of high crude fiber intake on transit time and the absorption of nutrients in South African Negro schoolchildrenReferencesTHE BRAN HYPOTHESISYELLOW FAT AND VISCERAL MALIGNANCY 1 May 1974Volume 80, Issue 5Page: 663-664KeywordsDeath ratesInfectious diseasesMotivationPopulation statistics ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 May 1974 PDF downloadLoading ...
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Alexander Walker (1974) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: