Contrary to what is widely believed, consuming a diet high in fiber may not reduce a person’s risk of colon cancer, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some previous studies have linked high dietary fiber with a reduced risk of colon cancer, senior author Dr Stephanie A. Smith-Warner and colleagues note. However, most forward-looking studies and clinical trials have failed to discern such a relationship.To resolve these discordant results, Smith-Warner at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues analyzed data from 13 studies with follow-up times of 6 to 20 years. More than 8,000 cases of colon cancer were included in the analysis.
