Abstract: This volume reports the proceedings of a conference on dietary fiber which included clinical, epidemiologic, and experimental studies. It is noted that the role of fiber in the maintenance of health has generally been accepted and that future research may be focused on special varieties of dietary fiber likely to be most protective against particular diseases. Topics include: the chemical structures of cell walls of higher plants; analysis of dietary fiber in human foods; dietary fiber and mineral absorption; the influence of dietary fiber on microbial enzyme activity in the gut; fiber and gastrointestinal disease; dietary fiber in the management of diabetes; bacterial metabolism, fiber and colorectal cancer; and future research directions, including clinical trials.