Dietary carbohydrates range in molecular size from simple sugars to complex polymers with a degree of polymerization (DP) of up to 100,000 or more. Oligosaccharides are generally defined as carbohydrates from 2 to 20 monomeric units long. Oligosaccharides have been dietary staples since antiquity but have received much less attention than other carbohydrates such as simple sugars or dietary fiber. Recently, interest in oligosaccharides has increased not only because of properties that include sweetening ability and fat replacement, but also because of resistance to digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract and fermentation in the large bowel. Thus, some oligosaccharides have functional effects similar to soluble dietary fiber such as enhancement of a healthy gastrointestinal tract, improvement of glucose control, and modulation of the metabolism of triglycerides. These oligosaccharides are the nondigestible oligosaccharides. These compounds are easily incorporated into processed foods and hold much promise as functional ingredients in nutraceutical products.

There has been little research concerning the health effects of whole grain intake in humans. We have synthesized 15 american and European case-control and prospective studies of whole grain intake. Most subjects were middle aged or older. The studies employed disparate dietary methods, and the foods referred to and quantities eaten are ill defined. Nevertheless there is a striking consistency in reduced risk for colorectal and gastric cancers associated with intake of whole grain, also found in isolated studies of endometrial cancer and coronary heart disease. Because reduced risk was not associated with refined grain intake, these findings do not appear to be confounded by participant confusion concerning refined vs. whole grains. The independence of these findings from reduced risk associated with fruit and vegetable intake is not established. There should be further research to establish whether whole grain intake is protective against chronic disease.

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