Fibre rich diet and healthy lifestyle prevents bowel cancer

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 24 2011

According to leading researchers there is more evidence than ever before that fibre-rich foods prevent bowel cancer. They analyzed the most up-to-date research on the disease and said there is now “convincing” evidence that foods containing fibre can offer protection. An earlier 2007 concluded that dietary fibre “probably” cuts the risk of the disease but this new analysis is stronger they say. New evidence includes research that says three servings a day of cereal fibre and whole grains reduce the risk.

The report is part of the Continuous Update Project (CUP), a compilation of 749 scientific papers studying the link between diet, physical activity, weight and colorectal cancer that's been ongoing since 2007. The report was entitled “Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.” The 850-page report is ''the most authoritative ever'' on bowel cancer risk, experts claim.

This analysis was commissioned by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and conducted by experts from Imperial College London to look at the data, said it recommended people eat a plant-based diet including fibre-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and pulses such as beans. The recent addition of 263 new papers confirming the same message moved the two groups to issue a strong statement Monday.

The team also analyzed new data on the risk of bowel cancer from red and processed meat, which adds weight to the view these are a “convincing” cause of the disease. The WCRF and the American Institute for Cancer Research recommend people eat no more than the equivalent of about five or six medium portions of red meat such as beef and lamb a week. They say people should avoid processed meat.

Similarly, just as physical activity was found to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, excess body fat - especially around the waist - and alcohol consumption were deemed to increase the risk of onset they said.

Every week, colorectal cancer claims the lives of 320 people in the UK, 73 lives in Australia, 175 lives in Canada and 24 lives in New Zealand. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. About 13,500 people develop bowel cancer in Australia each year and about 4000 die from it. It is the third most common cancer.

Meanwhile, another study published last October in the British Medical Journal online, found that almost a quarter of bowel cancer cases could be prevented in the UK if people followed a healthy lifestyle that included physical activity and healthy eating.

The chief executive of the Cancer Council Australia, Professor Ian Olver, also said about 43 per cent of cases could be prevented if people ate less meat and more fibre, drank less, maintained healthy weight and kept active.