Colorectal cancer: fiber intake does not exert a protective effect

A high intake of dietary fiber does not seem associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, says a group of prospective studies on the link between diet and cancer published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) analysis.
The idea that dietary fiber reduces the risk of colorectal cancer is widely used in the medical world, but observational studies have not been conclusive, fueling controversy about it.

Yikyung Park, Harvard School of Public Health in Boston (USA), and colleagues analyzed data collected as part of thirteen prospective studies of populations included in the "Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer" established a project to summarize the associations between dietary factors and cancer risk.

These data on 725,628 men and women followed for six to twenty years, including 8081 developed colorectal cancer during follow-up.

Group showing the comparison of consumption of the higher dietary fiber compared to the group with the lowest power consumption, only adjusted according to age, shows a 16% decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer.

But taking into account other dietary risk factors, such as the consumption of red meat, milk, alcohol, mitigated this risk reduction that was longer was significant, and whatever the source fiber (cereals, fruits, vegetables).

However, the authors recommend adopting a diet rich in fiber, as these have been associated with other benefits in terms of health, including a preventive role against heart disease and diabetes.