Eating more fiber after a colon cancer diagnosis is associated with a lower risk of death from the cancer.
ScienceLovers - A recent study showed that people who eat high fiber foods or increase their fiber intake after diagnosis of colon cancer are less likely to die from this tumor than individuals who do not consume lots of fiber.
"Eating more fiber after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer was associated with a lower risk of death from colorectal cancer," said senior study author Dr. Andrew Chan of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
"This appears to be regardless of the amount of fiber eaten before it is diagnosed," Chan said via email.
Chan and colleagues examined data from 1,575 adults diagnosed with colon cancer who completed a diet survey detailing how much fiber they consumed.
They followed half of the survey participants for at least 8 years. During that period, 773 people died, including 174 who died of colon and rectal tumors.
High-fiber diets are associated with lower mortality rates.
Compared with the lowest fiber consumption in this study, each additional five grams of fiber intake was associated with a 22 percent lower likelihood of death from colorectal cancer during the study and a 14 percent lower risk of death from all causes of death, according to the researchers as reported in JAMA Oncology.
Changing diets after diagnosis to add fiber is also associated with survival benefits. Each additional five grams of fiber added to their diet after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer was associated with a possible 18 percent lower mortality from colorectal cancer during the study, as well as a 14 percent lower mortality from all causes of death.
However, the type of fiber consumed is important.
"It seems that cereal fiber and grain rich foods may be associated with the lowest risk of death from colorectal cancer," Chan said.
The study found that each additional 5 grams of cereal fiber was associated with a 33 percent lower likelihood of death from colorectal cancer and a 22 percent lower chance of death from all causes.
Vegetable fiber is not associated with significant drops in deaths from colon cancer, but each extra 5 grams a day is associated with a 17 percent reduction in the risk of death from all causes.
Meanwhile, the fruit fiber does not seem to reduce deaths from cancer or other causes.
The study is not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how fiber intake may affect the likelihood of dying from colon cancer, the researchers note.
Dr. Samantha Hendren, a researcher from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, who was not involved in the study, noted the most important risk factors for colorectal cancer: family history, polyps / cancer history, certain diseases such as ulcerative colitis, and no periodic checks.
"Lifestyle can also affect risk," Hendren said via email. "However, diet is only one component of lifestyle risk, and no smoking, normal weight, and taking aspirin are all associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer."
Although diet is only one part of the puzzle, it may have a beneficial effect on metabolism that can protect against cancer, Hendren added. But it is unclear why patients who already have colorectal tumors will live longer by consuming more fiber at the time.
However, eating high fiber foods may lower the risk of colorectal cancer or cancer from tumors, notes Nour Makarem, a researcher at Columbia University in New York who was not involved in the study.
Therefore, eating a healthy diet high in wheat content (eg brown rice, oatmeal, wheat cereal or whole grain bread) and other sources of fiber such as fruits and vegetables can protect against colorectal cancer and also increase yield and reduce the risk of death among colorectal cancer victims , "Makarem said via email.
