ABSTRACT The human colon contains a complex microbial community (the microbiota), composed mostly of bacteria, that degrades and ferments indigestible polysaccharides known collectively as dietary fibre. Acting as a co-operative society and using specialised biochemical mechanisms, the microbiota processes the dietary fibre and produces short-chain (volatile) fatty acids (SCFAs) as fermentation products. Mucosal and immune cell receptors and signalling molecules important in maintaining gut homeostasis respond to the presence of these bacterial metabolites. This article provides a perspective on the potential use of dietary fibre to modulate the functioning of the microbiota and hence stimulate health-supporting processes in guided food interventions. Major problems to be solved in developing this approach include the lack of detailed knowledge of the assemblage and functioning of bacterial consortia in the gut microbiota, the relatively large quantity of dietary fibre that might be needed to produce consistent outcomes in humans, the possibility that bacterial species that could utilise more exotic dietary fibres present in ancestral foods may be missing from Western microbiotas, the variation in response to dietary modification because high diversity microbiotas are resistant to change, and the need to develop new forms of dietary fibre supplements that are palatable and tolerable when ingested in efficacious amounts.

中文翻译：

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引导膳食纤维摄入作为指导肠道微生物群产生短链脂肪酸的一种手段

摘要 人类结肠包含一个复杂的微生物群落（微生物群），主要由细菌组成，可降解和发酵难消化的多糖，统称为膳食纤维。作为一个合作社会并使用专门的生化机制，微生物群处理膳食纤维并产生短链（挥发性）脂肪酸 (SCFA) 作为发酵产物。粘膜和免疫细胞受体以及对维持肠道稳态很重要的信号分子对这些细菌代谢物的存在作出反应。本文提供了关于膳食纤维在调节微生物群的功能方面的潜在用途的观点，从而在指导性食品干预中刺激健康支持过程。