Study: High-Fiber Diet Reduces Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Two new studies suggest that a diet rich in fiber, particularly from grains, cereals and fruit, can have a “substantial effect” on reducing the risk of the colorectal cancer.

The two studies, published in the journal The Lancet, add to a growing disagreement among researchers over whether a high-fiber diet can prevent colon cancer.

Previous smaller studies concluded that a high-fiber diet did not prevent recurrence of polyps in people who had been treated for the precancerous lesions.

In one of the new studies involving almost 40,000 participants, National Cancer Institute researchers investigated the relationship between fiber intake and frequency of colorectal adenomas – non-malignant polyps that often are a precursor of colorectal cancer.

Their study found that people in the top 20 percent for dietary fiber intake had a 27 per cent lower risk of adenomas compared to those in the bottom 20 per cent .

In the second study, European researchers arrived at similar conclusions after looking at dietary fiber intake and colorectal cancer incidence in more than half a million people aged 25 to 70 years of age.

They reported that people who ate 35g of dietary fiber per day had a 40 per cent lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who consumed only 15g per day.

"Our results showed that total dietary fiber consumption was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk," the European researchers reported. "However, we only studied fiber in foods. Thus, our results cannot be extrapolated to any potential benefit of dietary supplements or additives containing fiber alone."

Other Sources: The Lancet