ABSTRACT
The initial extensive work on dietary fat and blood lipids was carried out in the late 1950s and mid-1960s. Dental plaque represents an organized large mass of oral bacteria capable of hydrolyzing starches and metabolizing sugars to lactic acid. Many dietary carbohydrates escape digestion in the small intestine and reach the large intestine for colonic fermentation. The extent to which the colonic bacteria can ferment the ileal carbohydrate flow varies, but it increases with the solubility of the carbohydrate fraction and it decreases with either chemical inaccessibility due to lignification or physical inaccessibility. On a global basis nutritional deficiencies of iodine, iron, and vitamin A remain a priority for attention within the plans of action of the International Conference on Nutrition, as does the promotion of breastfeeding. A final regulatory issue pertains to the entire concept of dietary guidelines, which, within an active nutrition policy program, should play a significant role in shaping food supply.
