Some Experiments on the Relative Digestibility of White and Wholemeal Breads

Abstract

The problem of the comparative nutritive value of bread made from the various high grade white or “patents” flours and the so-called “standard” meal is of some interest. The inclusion of a considerable portion of the bran in standard bread is claimed to increase largely the nutritive value of the bread. It has been known for many years that wholemeal bread containing the bran particles was especially useful as an article of diet for persons suffering from constipation, the laxative effect being due partly to the mechanical presence of indigestible fibre, partly to the irritation of the intestinal wall by the sharp bran particles causing increased peristalsis. This effect is to some extent lost after prolonged feeding.