We have all heard about dietary fiber: bulk and roughage. The advantages to daily regularity, etc.
BUT, women with higher fiber intake have fewer breast cancers according to a recent large meta-analysis of 16 prospective studies http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/6/1394.abstract. Dietary factors are hard to study because of the many confounding factors. Many of the studies used in this meta-analysis were controlled for the other healthy lifestyle choices that are often associated with higher fiber intake, like less obesity, more physical activity and eating less fat. The evidence is clear: more fiber intake decreased breast cancer risk. The reduction was apparent for pre- and post-menopausal women.
So how much fiber per day? The risk reduction became evident at 25gm/day of fiber.
So what is fiber and how do you know what you get? We can now read the labels on the food we buy. Fiber is listed under carbohydrates and is the part of the plant that is not digested. A nice review can be seen at the Mayo Clinic site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033.
Next week I will blog about which foods are good fiber sources, potential mechanisms for breast cancer reduction with high fiber diet and at what age fiber might be most important to the diet.
For now, remember that 1 cup of orange juice has less than 1gm of fiber, but 1 orange has at least 3gm of fiber.
Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!
This blog is general information and not personal medical advice.
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