Diet Can Affect Colon Cancer Faster Than Expected

There has been quite a lot of research on diet and colon cancer lately. But an unusual new study still offered a really big surprise. . . .

This study compared twenty South Africans who ate a high fiber, low fat African style diet with twenty African Americans who ate a typical low fiber, high fat North American diet. None of the South Africans had polyps, but almost half the Americans did. Polyps on the lining of the bowel can be benign but they can progress to cancer.

The two groups then switched diets for two weeks. And the results were astounding. After just two weeks the Americans had significantly less inflammation in their colons and reduced markers of colon cancer risk. The South Africans already demonstrated increased risk of markers for colon cancer.

As you can see from the earlier diet and colon cancer studies we’ve discussed on this blog, it is not at all surprising that increasing fiber and decreasing fat decreases your risk of colon cancer. What is new and unbelievable about this study is how fast it can start doing it.

Nature Communications 2015;doi:10.1038/ncomms7342