Burkitt and fibre

What is it about?

For more than 200 years the fibre in plant foods has been known by animal nutritionists to have significant effects on digestion. Its role in human nutrition began to be investigated towards the end of the 19th century although historically bran, a good source of fibre, had been known to improve bowel habit. Between 1966 and 1972 however Denis Burkitt, a surgeon who had recently returned Africa, brought together ideas from a range of disciplines and observations from his own experience to propose a radical view of the role of fibre in human health. Burkitt came late to the fibre story but building on the work of others he proposed that diets low in fibre increase the risk of coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes, dental caries, various vascular disorders and large bowel conditions such as cancer, appendicitis and diverticulosis. Simply grouping these diseases together as having a common cause was ground-breaking. Proposing fibre as the key stimulated much research but also controversy. Credit for the dietary fibre hypothesis is given largely to Burkitt who became known as the ‘Fibre Man’. This paper sets out the story of the development of the fibre hypothesis, and the contribution to it of these individuals.

Featured Image

Perspectives