Study shows high-fiber diet may prevent colorectal cancer

A HealthDay News story last week reveals a new review that says eating a high-fiber diet may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, especially if the fiber comes from cereal and whole grains.

It added that British and Dutch researchers analyzed 25 studies that involved a total of nearly 2 million people. “Compared with the lowest levels of fiber consumption, each 10-gram per day increase in intake of total dietary fiber and cereal fiber was associated with a 10-percent reduced risk of colorectal cancer.” It also says consuming 90 grams more a day (three servings, or three and one-quarter ounces) of whole grains was associated with about a 20-percent lower risk.

HealthDay News further added that researchers said a previous analysis did find that a high intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, which suggests that components other than fiber in fruits and vegetables may play a role, the researchers said.

HealthDay News said the study appeared online Nov. 11 in a British Medical Journal.

Filipino diet

The typical Filipino diet, nutritionists note, lacks dietary fiber and is excessive in fat. This kind of diet, they say, increases the risk of bowel movement irregularities, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis and colorectal cancer.

Experts noted that while a low-fiber diet has been associated with degenerative diseases in the gall bladder and bowel cancer, a high-fiber plant-based diet, on the other hand, helps dilute, bind, inactivate and remove toxic substances and carcinogens in the food supply.

Dietary fiber refers to the edible parts of plants or carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Fiber is in all plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, according to WebMD’s “Dietary fiber for constipation.”

In the recent Meatless Monday (Luntiang Lunes) launch at the Tarlac State University, experts noted that in 2008 the Philippines had the lowest annual per capita intake of vegetables in Asia, with only 39 kg, as compared to China’s 250 kg. When ranked according to each country’s per capita intake of vegetables, the country fell within the lowest quartile alongside  nations from Africa (Rwanda-42 kg, Malawi-47 kg, and Ethiopia-25 kg).

Recommended intake

The World Health Organization/Food Agriculture Organization expert consultation report on diet, nutrition and prevention of chronic diseases stated that the recommended intake should be a minimum 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day (or 69 kg per year).

Approximately 1.7 million (2.8 percent) deaths worldwide are attributable to low fruit and vegetable consumption. Increasing intakes to at least five servings a day can help prevent 14 percent of gastrointestinal cancer deaths, 11 percent of ischemic heart disease deaths and 9 percent of stroke deaths.

A high-fat diet particularly containing animal products has been associated in studies by experts with increasing the risk for a number of serious diseases.

“Animal protein increases the levels of hormone IGF1 which is a risk factor for cancer, and high case in (the main protein for cow’s milk) diets allow more carcinogens into cells, which allow more dangerous carcinogen products to bind to DNA, which allow more mutagenic reactions that give rise to cancer cells, which allow more rapid growth of tumors once they are initially formed,” said T. Collin Campbell. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman professor emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University.