Abstract
It normally takes between 1 and 4 days for the residues of a solid meal to pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Most of this time is spent in the colon; passage of food through the stomach and small intestine only takes a few hours (Read et al., 1980).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker, W. N. W., and Mann, C. V., 1981, The rectosigmoid junction zone: Another sphincter?, in: Alimentary Sphincters and Their Disorders, ( P. A. Thomas, and C. V. Mann, eds.), MacMillan, London, pp. 201–211.
Bertrand, D., Brillouet, J. M., Rasper, V. F., Bouchet, B., and Merrier, C., 1981, Cereal Chem. 58: 468.
Binder, H. J., 1980, Pathophysiology of bile acid and fatty acid induced diarrhoea, in: Secretory Diarrhea ( M. Field, J. S. Fordtran, and S. G. Schultz, eds.), American Physiological Society, Baltimore, pp. 159–178.
Blackburn, N. A., Redfern, J. S., Jarjis, M., Holgate, A. M., Hanning, I., Scarpello, J. H. B., Johnson, I. T., and Read, N. W., 1984a, The mechanism of action of guar gum in improving glucose tolerance in man, Clin. Sci. 66: 329–336.
Blackburn, N. A., Holgate, A. M., and Read, N. W., 1984b, Small intestinal contact area—another mechanism by which guar reduces postprandial hyperglycaemia in man, Br. J. Nutr. 52: 197–204.
Bond, J. H., and Levitt, M. D., 1974, Investigation of small bowel transit time in man utilizing pulmonary H2 measurements, J. Lab. Clin. Med. 85: 546–559.
Booth, C. C., Alldis, D., and Read, A. E., 1961, Studies on the site of fat absorption. 2. Fat balances after resection of varying amounts of small intestine in man, Gut 2: 168–174.
Borgstrom, B., Dahlquist, A., Lundh, G., and Sjovall, J., 1951, Studies of intestinal digestion and absorption in human, J. Clin. Invest. 36: 1521–1536.
Brodribb, A. J. M., and Groves, C., 1978, Effect of bran particle size in stool weight, Gut 19: 60–63.
Bueno, L., Praddaude, F., Fioramonti, J., and Ruckebusch, Y., 1981, Effect of dietary fiber on gastrointestinal motility and jejunal transit time, Gastroenterology 80: 701–707.
Burkitt, D. P., Walker, A. R. P., and Painter, N. S., 1972, Effect of dietary fibre on stools and transit times, and its role in the causation of disease, Lancet 2: 1408–1412.
Burrows, C. F., Kronfield, D. S., Banta, C. A., and Merritt, A. M., 1982, Effects of fiber on digestibility and transit time in dogs, J. Nutr. 112: 1726–1732.
Cammack, J., Read, N. W., Cann, P. A., Greenwood, B., and Holgate, A. M., 1982, Effect of prolonged exercise on the passage of a solid meal through the stomach and small intestine, Gut 23: 957–961.
Cann, P. A., Read, N. W., Brown, C., Hobson, N., and Holdsworth, C. D., 1983, The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Relationship of disorders in the transit of a single solid meal to symptom patterns, Gut 24: 405–411.
Cann, P. A., Read, N. W., and Holdsworth, C. D., 1984a, What is the benefit of coarse wheat bran in patients with the irritable bowel syndrome, Gut 25: 168–173.
Cann, P. A., Read, N. W., Holdsworth, C. D., and Barends, D., 1984b, Role of loperamide and placebo in the management of the irritable bowel syndrome (I.B.S.), Dig. Dis. Sci. 29: 239–247.
Chauve, A., Devroede, G., and Bastin, E., 1976, Intraluminal pressures during perfusion of the human colon in situ, Gastroenterology 70: 336–340.
Cummings, J. H., Hill, M. J., Jenkins, D. J. A., Pearson, J. R., and Wiggins, H. S., 1976a, Changes in faecal composition and colonic function due to cereal fibre, J. Clin. Nutr. 29: 1468–1473.
Cummings, J. H., Jenkins, J. D. A., and Wiggins, H. S., 1976b, Measurement of the mean transit time of dietary residue through the human gut, Gut 17: 210–217.
Cummings, J. H., Southgate, D. A. T., Branch, W., Houston, H., Jenkins, D. J. A., and James, W. P. T., 1978, The colonic response to dietary fibre from carrot, cabbage, apple, bran and guar gum, Lancet i:5–9.
Cummings, J. H., Southgate, D. A. T., Branch, W., Wiggins, H. S., Houston, H., Jenkins, D. J. A., Jibraj, T., and Hill, M. W., 1979a, The digestion of dietary pectin in the human gut and its effect on calcium absorption and large bowel function, Br. J. Nutr. 41: 488–485.
Cummings, J. H., Hill, M. J., Jirraj, T., Houston, H., Branch, W. J., and Jenkins, D. J. A., 1979b, The effect of meat protein and dietary fiber on colonic function and metabolism, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 32: 2086–2093.
Cummings, J. H., 1981, Short chain fatty acids in the human colon, Gut 22: 763–769.
Davignon, J., Simmonds, W. J., and Alunen, E. H., 1968, Usefulness of chromic oxide as an internal standard for balance studies in formula fed patients and for assessment of colonic function, Clin. Invest. 47: 127–138.
Debongnie, J. C., and Phillips, S. F., 1978, Capacity of the human colon to absorb fluid, Gastroenterology 74: 698–703.
Fleckenstein, P., Bueno, L., Fioramonti, J., and Ruchebusch, Y., 1982, Minute rhythm of electrical spike bursts of the small intestine of different species, Am. J. Physiol. 242: G654–G659.
Harvey, R. F., Pomare, E. W., and Heaton, K. W., 1973, Effects of increased dietary fibre on intestinal transit, Lancet i: 1278–1280.
Heller, S. N., Mackler, L. R., Rivers, J. M., Van Soest, P. J., Roe, D. A., Lewis, B. A., and Robertson, J., 1980, Dietary fibre: The effect of particle size of wheat bran on colonic function in young adult men, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 33: 1734–1744.
Hill, M. J., Drasar, B. S., Williams, R. E. O., Meade, T. W., Cox, A. G., Simpson, D. E. P., and Morson, B. C., 1975, Faecal bile acids and Clostridia in patients with cancer of the large bowel, Lancet i:535–538.
Hinton, J. M., Lennard-Jones, J. E., and Young, A. C., 1969, A new method for studying gut transit times using radio-opaque markers, Gut 10: 842–847.
Holdstock, D. S., Misiewicz, J. J., Smith, T., and Rowlands, E. N., 1970, Propulsion (mass movements) in the human colon and its relationship to meals and somatic activity, Gut 11: 91–99.
Holgate, A. M., and Read, N. W., 1983, The relationship between small bowel transit time and absorption of a solid meal: Influence of metoclopramide, magnesium sulfate and lactulose, Dig. Dis. Sci. 28: 812–819.
Holgate, A. M., and Read, N. W., 1985, Effect of ileal infusion of intralipid on gastrointestinal transit—Ileal flow rate and carbohydrate absorption in humans after a liquid meal, Gastroenterology, 88: 1005–1011.
I ARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), Intestinal Microecology Group, 1977, Dietary fibre, transit time, fecal bacteria steroids and colon cancer in two Scandinavian populations, Lancet 2: 207–211.
Jenkins, D. J. A., 1983, Fiber and delayed carbohydrate absorption in man: Lente carbohydrate, in: Delaying Absorption As a Therapeutic Principle in Metabolic Diseases (W. Creutzfeldt and U. R. Folsch, eds. ), Thieme Stuttgart, pp. 45–56.
Jenkins, D. J. A., Wolever, T. M. S., Leeds, A. R., Gassull, M. A., Haisman, P., Dilawari, J., Goff, D. V., Metz, G. L., and Alberti, K. G. M. M., 1978, Dietary fibres, fibre analogues and glucose tolerance: Importance of viscosity, Br. Med. J. i: 1392–1394.
Jian, R., Pecking, A., Najean, Y., and Bernier, J. J., 1979, Etude de la progression d’un repas dans 1’intestine grele de l’homme par une methode scintigraphique, Gastroenterol. Clin. 3: 755–762.
Kaiser, M. M., Rother, J. L. A., Tumen, M., and Johnson, T. A., 1960, Relation of small bowel resection to nutrition in man, Gastroenterology 38: 458–468.
Kay, R. M., and Truswell, A. S., 1980, Dietary fibre: Effects on plasma and biliary lipids in man, in: Medical Aspects of Dietary Fibre ( G. A. Spiller and R. M. Kauf, eds.), Plenum, New York, pp. 153–173.
Kirwan, W. O., Smith, A. N., Mitchell, W. D., Falconer, J. D., and Eastwood, M. A., 1975, Bile acids and colonic motility in the rabbit and the human, Gut 16: 894–900.
Kramer, P., Kearney, M. M., and Ingelfinger, F. Z., 1962, The effect of specific foods and water loading on the ileal excreta of ileostomised human subjects, Gastroenterology 42: 535–546.
Leeds, A. L., 1982, Modification of intestinal absorption by dietary fiber and fiber components, in: Dietary Fiber in Health and Disease ( G. V. Vahouny and D. Kritchevsky, eds.), Plenum, New York, pp. 53–72.
Manning, A. P., Heaton, K. W., Harvey, R. F., and Uglass, P., 1977, Wheat fibre and irritable bowel syndrome, Lancet 2: 417–418.
McNeil, N. I., Cummings, J. A., and James, W. P. T., 1978, Short chain fatty acid absorption by the human large intestine, Gut 19: 819–822.
Morris, A. I., and Turnberg, L. A., 1980, The influence of a parasympathetic agonist and antagonist on human intestinal transport in vivo, Gastroenterology 79: 861–866.
Nuguid, T. P., Bacon, H. E., and Bantwell, J., 1961, An investigation of the volume of output and chemical content of ileal discharges following total colectomy and ileostomy, Surg. Gynecol Obstet. 113: 733–742.
Nygaard, K., 1966, Resection of the small intestine in rats. I. Nutritional status and adaptation of fat and protein absorption, Acta Clin. Scand. 132: 731–742.
Nygaard, K., 1967, Resection of the small intestine in rats. IV: Adaptation of gastrointestinal motility, Acta Clin. Scand. 133: 407–416.
Payler, D. U., Pomare, E. W., Heaton, K. W., and Harvey, R. F., 1975, The effect of wheat bran on intestinal transit, Gut 16: 209–213.
Pomare, E. W., and Heaton, K. W., 1973, Alteration of bile salt metabolism by dietary fibre (bran), Br. Med. J. 4: 262–264.
Poulakos, L., and Kent, T. H., 1973, Gastric emptying and small intestinal propulsion in fed and fasted rats, Gastroenterology 64: 962–967.
Prynn, C. J., and Southgate, D. A. T., 1979, The effects of a supplement of dietary fibre on faecal excretion by human subjects, Br. J. Nutr. 41: 495–503.
Read, N. W., 1982, Diarrhoea: The failure of colonic salvage, Lancet ii:481–483.
Read, N. W., 1983, Speculations on the role of motility in the pathogenesis and treatment of diarrhoea, Scand. J. Gastroenterol 18 (Suppl. 84): 45–63.
Read, N. W., 1984, The control of gastrointestinal transit by luminal nutrients, in: Intestinal Absorption and Secretion ( K. H. Soegel, ed.), MTP, Lancaster, England, pp. 153–160.
Read, N. W., Miles, C. A., Fisher, D., Holgate, A. M., Kime, N. D., Mitchell, M. A., Reeve, A. M., Roche, T. B., and Walker, M., 1980, Transit of a meal through the stomach, small intestine, and colon in normal subjects and its role in the pathogenesis of diarrhea, Gastroenterology 79: 1276–1282.
Read, N. W., Cammack, J., Edwards, C., Holgate, A.M., Cann, P. A., and Brown, C., 1982, Is the transit time of a meal through the small intestine related to the rate at which it leaves the stomach? Gut 23: 824–828.
Read, N. W., Al Janabi, M. N., Bates, T. E., Barber, D. C., 1983, The effect of gastrointestinal intubation on the passage of a solid meal through the stomach and small intestine in humans, Gastroenterology 84: 1568–1572.
Read, N. W., MacFarlane, A., Kinsman, R., Bates, T., Blackhall, N. W., Farrar, G. B. J., Hall, J. C., Moss, G., Morris, A. P., O’Neill, B., and Welch, I., 1984a, Effect of infusion of nutrient solutions into the ileum on gastrointestinal transit and plasma levels of neurotensin and enteroglucagon in man, Gastroenterology 86: 274–280.
Read, N. W., Al-Janabi, M. N., Barber, D. C., and Edwards, C. A., 1984b, The relationship between post-prandial motor activity in the human small intestine and the gastrointestinal transit of food, Gastroenterology 86: 721–727.
Rousseau, B., and Sladen, G. C., 1971, Effect of luminal pH on the absorption of water, sodium and chloride by the rat intestine in vivo, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 233: 591–593.
Ruppin, H., Bar-Meir, S., Soergel, K. H., Wood, C. M., and Schmitt, M. G., 1980, Absorption of short chain fatty acids by the colon, Gastroenterology 78: 1500–1507.
Saunders, D. R., and Wiggins, H. S., 1981, Conservation of mannitol, lactulose and raffinose by the human colon, Am. J. Physiol. 241: G397–G402.
Smith, A. N., 1982, Effects of fibre on colonic function and motility, in: Colon and Nutrition ( M. Kasper and M. Goebell, eds.), MTP, Lancaster, England, pp 181–188.
Snape, W. J., Shiff, S., and Cohen, S., 1980, Effect of deoxycholic acid on colonic motility in the rabbit, Am. J. Physiol. 288: G321–325.
Soltoft, J., Gudmand-Hoyer, E., Krag, B., Kristensen, E., and Wulff, H. R., 1976, A double blind trial of the effect of wheat bran on symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, Lancet 1: 270–272.
Stephen, A. M., and Cummings, J. H., 1979, Water holding by dietary fibre in vitro and its relationship to faecal output in man, Gut 20: 722–729.
Stephen, A. M., and Cummings, J. H., 1980, Mechanisms of actions of dietary fibre in the human colon, Nature 284: 283–284.
Summers, R. W., and Dusdieker, N. W., 1981, Patterns of spike burst spread and flow in the canine small intestine, Gastroenterology 81: 742–780.
Summers, R. W., Anuras, S., and Green, J., 1983, Jejunal manometry patterns in health, partial intestinal obstruction and pseudo-obstruction, Gastroenterology 85: 1290–1300.
Sundberg, A.-S., Anderson, H., Hallgren, B., Hasselblad, K., Isaakson, B., and Hulten, L., 1981, Experimental model for in vivo determination of dietary fibre and its effect on the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, Br. J. Nutr. 45: 283–294.
Topping, D. C., and Visek, W. J., 1976, Nitrogen intake and tumorigenesis in rats injected with 1,2-dimethylhydrozine, J. Nutr. 106: 1583–1590.
Walters, R. L., Baird, I. M., Daines, P. S., Hill, M. J., Drasar, B. S., Southgate, D. A. T., Green, J., and Morgan, B., 1975, Effects of two types of dietary fibre on faecal steroid and lipid excretion, Br. Med. J. 2: 536–538.
Wiggins, H. S., and Cummings, J. H., 1976, Evidence for the mixing of dietary residue, Gut 17: 1007–1011.
Wrick, K. L., Robertson, J. B., Van Soest, P. J., Lewis, B. A., Rivers, J. M., Roe, D. A., and Hadder, L. R., 1983, The influence of dietary fibre source on human intestinal transit and stool output, J. Nutr. 113: 1464–1479.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Read, N.W. (1986). Dietary Fiber and Bowel Transit. In: Vahouny, G.V., Kritchevsky, D. (eds) Dietary Fiber. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2111-8_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2111-8_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9249-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-2111-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive