Wheat is the most important staple crop in temperate zones and is in increasing demand in countries undergoing urbanization and industrialization. In addition to being a major source of starch and energy, wheat also provides substantial amounts of a number of components which are essential or beneficial for health, notably protein, vitamins (notably B vitamins), dietary fiber, and phytochemicals. Of these, wheat is a particularly important source of dietary fiber, with bread alone providing 20% of the daily intake in the UK, and well‐established relationships between the consumption of cereal dietary fiber and reduced risk of cardio‐vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and forms of cancer (notably colo‐rectal cancer). Wheat shows high variability in the contents and compositions of beneficial components, with some (including dietary fiber) showing high heritability. Hence, plant breeders should be able to select for enhanced health benefits in addition to increased crop yield.

中文翻译：

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小麦对人类饮食和健康的贡献。

小麦是温带地区最重要的主食作物，并且在经历城市化和工业化的国家中，小麦的需求正在增加。小麦不仅是淀粉和能量的主要来源，而且还提供大量对健康必不可少或有益的多种成分，特别是蛋白质，维生素（尤其是B族维生素），膳食纤维和植物化学物质。其中，小麦是膳食纤维特别重要的来源，在英国，仅面包一项就能提供每日摄入量的20％，而且谷物膳食纤维的消费与降低心血管疾病的风险之间存在着公认的关系（2型）糖尿病和癌症形式（特别是结肠直肠癌）。小麦的有益成分的含量和组成变化很大，其中一些（包括膳食纤维）显示出较高的遗传力。因此，植物育种者除了增加作物产量外，还应该能够选择增强健康的方法。