Dietary fiber is the edible parts of plants or analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine with complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine. Dietary fiber includes polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, lignin, and associated plant substances. Beneficial effects of dietary fiber include increased satiety and hence some degree of weight management; laxation (by increasing stool bulk and stool softening); improvements in gastrointestinal health; improvements in glucose tolerance and the insulin response; reduction of blood cholesterol, hypertension and other coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors; reduction in the risk of developing some cancers.