I dont think , cellulose as such has any nutritive value , rather it facilitates the food as fibre to move readily into the digestive system. Cellulose is basically a polysaccharides , more a part of cell walls of plants , its digestibility is very slow in human body , besides being insoluble..

Dear Peter A Idowu ,

I agree with Dr. Anoop Kumar Srivastav and cellulose do not have direct nutritional value to humans, b/c we lack enzymes that can digest cellulose and brake down in to sugars.

Cellulose is a type of polysaccharide plant fiber composed of carbohydrate that is not digested by the human enzyme and doesn’t absorbed by the human body. Cellulose does not provide energy or nutrients to human body; however, it plays a key role in diet and overall health.

Cellulose passes through your digestive system, aiding in the removal of waste from the body. This waste can include normal metabolic waste excreted in the bile, but may also include sugar and cholesterol if the blood levels are elevated. If we do not take high-fiber food, our body continually reabsorbs excess sugar and cholesterol.

Soluble fiber binds excess sugar and cholesterol in your intestines carrying them out of our body via solid waste.

A high-fiber diet can improve heart and colon health and aid in weight loss. Cellulose is not digestible and serves no other purpose in human body aside from aiding in waste removal.

Enjoy foods rich in fiber!!!

Well. I guess you got your answer. I also do agree with both responses and we are working on various dietary fibers. Cellulose falls in this category. It facilitates digestion and the food says longer time in the GI system so people do not feel hungry. Now-a-days nanocellulose is also using for other purposes too like composites etc.

I agree with both opinion Anoop Kumar Srivastava and Beemnet Mengesha Kassahun

Invariably cellulose is more like a substance that helps digestions and its itself cannot be digestible by human.

Thanks everyone.

Cellulose is a type of polysaccharide plant fiber. Humans lack the enzyme necessary to break cellulose down into component sugars, allowing your body to absorb it. Cellulose, and other types of fiber, does not provide your body with energy or nutrients, but plays a key role in your diet and overall health.

Cellulose passes through your digestive system, aiding in the removal of waste from your body. This waste can include normal metabolic waste excreted in the bile, but may also include sugar and cholesterol if your blood levels are elevated. If you do not eat high-fiber food, your body continually reabsorbs excess sugar and cholesterol. Soluble fiber binds excess sugar and cholesterol in your intestines carrying them out of your body via solid waste. A high-fiber diet can improve heart and colon health and aid in weight loss. Cellulose is not digestible and serves no other purpose in your body aside from aiding in waste removal.

Cellulose is an insoluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) commonly found in whole grains,bran,vegetables,etc that increases stool bulk and water absorption thereby decreasing the GI transit time.The result is less constipation,lower incidence of diverticulitis diseases ( e.g.diverticulitis),and possibly less colon cancer risk. Adult men and women need to consume about 38g and 25 g of total dietary fiber,as part of their overall diet. Insoluble NSP is estimated to constitute about one- third of the total dietary fiber ingested.

hello,

I would be glad to add to the colleagues, an additional aspect of cellulose prebiotic effect:

" The physicochemical characteristics of fibers include fermentability, solubility, and viscosity, and these properties influence not only fermentation, but also the therapeutic effects of consumption. Insoluble fibers, such as cellulose, are generally poorly fermented by gut microbes, but their presence in the diet increases gut transit rate and thus reduces the amount of time available for colonic bacterial fermentation of non-digested foodstuff... cellulose, can be partially fermented in the distal colon where transit time is slower, and bacterial densities are higher. Recently, it was shown that fibers with varying chain lengths and solubility differentially impact the composition of the cecal microbiota of mice—diets supplemented with 5–10% cellulose, an insoluble fiber, had significantly different microbial community compositions than mice consuming 10% FOS or inulin, soluble fibers. "

HOLSCHER H.D , Gut Microbes 2017

Article Dietary Fiber and Prebiotics and the Gastrointestinal Microbiota

Hi Peter. In addition to the above, it is worth knowing that fermentation of the insoluble fibre cellulose by bacteria in the colon produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. These short-chain fatty acids are energy source for the cells of the colon, thereby aiding proliferation and may reduce risk of cancer.

Essentially there is zero or little DIRECT benefit from cellulose from a nutritonal value standpoint.

Thanks for your valuable response