Abstract
The relationship between dietary fiber and intestinal circular muscle cell size was investigated in rats by feeding defined diets supplemented with four different sources of fiber. In the first study, a 20% wheat bran supplement was fed to 10 rats for nine weeks. This resulted in larger muscle cell size, with a 22.5% increase in the proximal (PPPP<0.05). These results show that the effects of high fiber diets on intestinal muscle cell size depend on the type of fiber consumed.