Role of Fiber in Reducing Colon Cancer Risk Questioned

Eating fiber may not play a direct role in reducing the risk of colon cancer, according to one expert at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund who has been extensively reviewing studies on the subject.

It may not be the fiber that has the beneficial effects on health but the range of vitamins and minerals also found in high-fiber foods, said Dr. Robert Goodlad, senior scientist at ICRF and leading cancer specialist.

Another reason that the fiber may not be the actual hero is that people who eat high fiber foods tend not to eat unhealthy high-fat foods, according to Goodlad.

"A lot of people have said that fiber is good, especially in terms of the treatment of colon cancer, but if you look carefully at all the studies the evidence is not so solid," Goodlad wrote in the study published in the journal Gut.

The studies Goodlad reviewed fell into three categories: Some studies showed that there was a decreased risk of colon cancer; some showed an increased risk; and some showed no difference. The negative research has gotten little recognition, he noted.

Goodlad recommends that people continue to eat fiber from fiber-rich foods, favoring fruit and vegetables over cereal fiber. But he feels that fiber supplements may actually be dangerous.

Other sources: London Daily Telegraph, Ottawa Citizen