High Fiber Diet Won't Keep Colon Cancer Away

Sure, high-fiber food is delicous, but if you think shoveling in bowls of cereal will help prevent colon cancer, you may want to rethink your strategy.

Two influental 2000 studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine proved that high-fiber, low-fat and fruit-and-vegetable enriched diets do not reduce risks of colon cancer. The Polyp Prevention Trial and the Wheat Bran Fiber Study were both funded by the National Cancer Institute. Researchers followed people with a history of growths in the colon called polyps. These polyps can be indicators of cancer in the future. In the two studies, people who consumed large quantities of fiber had no fewer incidences of polyps.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to keep up with the bran cereal and other forms of what Grandma used to call "roughage." Dr. David S. Alberts, Director of Cancer Prevention at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, says, "The high fruit and vegetable, low fat diet is very healthful. It delivers all the nutrients we need and helps us feel well and live a long life." Dr. Alberts, lead investigator for the Wheat Bran Fiber Study, says such diets have "also been proven very effective in preventing coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, hemorrhoids, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diverticulitis."

By age 50, up to 40 percent of Americans have an abnormal polyp in the colon, says Dr. Alberts, and five to 10 percent of these polyps will go on to develop into colon cancer. So, if cereal isn't going to help, what is?

The best protection is to have the possibly-dangerous polyps removed before they turn cancerous. This reduces the risk of developing cancer by 90 percent. Dr. Alberts says, "Get a colon screening and follow up as your doctor recommends to spot these polyps early and treat them quickly. Screening is the most effective treatment we have right now, and truly, it's a matter of life and death once you hit 50 years old."