How is fiber thought to exert an influence over cancer of the colon?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Research studies suggest that a high-fiber diet protects against colon cancer. When a large study of diet and cancer examined the diets of more than a half million people in ten countries for several years, the researchers found an inverse association between dietary fiber and colon cancer. People who ate the most dietary fiber (35 grams per day) reduced their risk of colon cancer by 40 percent compared with those who ate the least fiber (15 grams per day). Importantly, the study focused on dietary fiber, not fiber supplements or additives, which lack valuable nutrients and phytochemicals that also help protect against cancer. Plant foods—vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products—reduce the risks of colon and rectal cancers. Fibers may help prevent colon cancer by diluting, binding, and rapidly removing potential cancer-causing agents from the colon. In addition, soluble fibers stimulate bacterial fermentation of resistant starch and fiber in the colon, a process that produces short-chain fatty acids that lower the pH. These small fat molecules activate cancer-killing enzymes and inhibit inflammation in the colon.