Nutrition from biblical Adam to the present time

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this review is not to defend or disprove the generally accepted belief that for maintaining their health, humans need prebiotics in the form of a dietary fiber, most of all vegetable fiber. This view is so deeply rooted among both experts and the general public that it can be almost comparable to a dogma of faith. It is not surprising that it is also a subject of never-ending fight between advocates of various forms of vegetarianism and advocates for eating meat. We are trying to answer the question of who is right; or is the truth somewhere in the middle? What exactly are prebiotics? A common definition suggests that prebiotic is an indigestible part of food, which supports growth or activity of intestinal micro flora and, therefore, improves health status of the consumer. The first prebiotic in our life is lactose. Vegetable-based prebiotics appear in our food later. They provide no energy for the organism, but serve as a substrate for intestinal microbiota, support peristaltic, adsorb water, and bind cholesterol and lipids.