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Cancer Resources > Cancer News > Cancer News from Reuters > Reuters Cancer News > 2007 > May

Dietary fiber intake not tied to colorectal cancer risk

David Douglas

Last Updated: 2007-05-29 11:23:14 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although the potential connection between dietary fiber and colorectal cancer has long held an attraction for both medical researchers and the general public, investigators report in a new study that the results of a large prospective cohort study do not support such a link.

"Our study did not show any association between how much dietary fiber you eat and your risk of colorectal cancer," lead author Dr. Arthur Schatzkin told Reuters Health. However, "we did find... that consumption of whole grain foods confers a lower risk of developing this disease."

Dr. Schatzkin of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland and colleagues came to this conclusion after analyzing survey responses from more than 291,000 men and 197,000 women aged 50 to 71 years. They report their findings in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In the study, "the 10th and 90th percentiles for dietary fiber intake (g/1000 kcal per day) were 6.6 and 15.9 in the whole cohort, 6.4 and 15.2 in men, and 7.0 and 16.8 in women."

In analyses of fiber intake from different food sources, the team found that only fiber from grains was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. The relative risk between those with the highest and lowest intake was 0.86. The association with whole grain was stronger for rectal than for colon cancer.

Nevertheless, concluded Dr. Schatzkin "our study is quite consistent with the recommendation -- targeted toward reducing one's risk of chronic disease -- to increase consumption of relatively unprocessed cereals...and/or pulses...and to limit the intake of refined starchy foods."

Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:1353-1360.

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