Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer in the United States and early detection is vital to a good outcome after treatment. In addition, it has been suggested by the National Cancer Institute that up to 35% of cancer deaths may be related to dietary factors.
Many researchers now claim that eating a typical “Western” diet, high in meats, fat, and sugars but low in fiber may contribute to colon cancer.
In 2003, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine by Fung, et al suggested just that. In this study, women with high-fat, low-fiber diets had an increased risk of developing colon cancer; whereas women that ate high-fiber, healthy protein diets had reduced cancer rates. In 2007, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Meyerhardt, et al also showed that this unhealthy diet also had implications in the increased recurrence of colon cancer after treatment.
Now, researchers have found that some bacteria are good for us, some are not and diet may play a role in which bacteria you keep around. According to O’Keefe and others, “good” bacteria can produce substances that maintain the health of our digestive system by keeping our cells healthy and regulating their growth, while “bad” bacteria make toxic products, like sulfur, which decrease the activity of the good guys. Importantly, these studies show that diets rich in fiber encourages the growth of good microbes, while high-fat diets reduces their numbers.
Following the good old food pyramid may be a good place to start in cleaning up your diet and maintaining a good balance of fats and sugars with more healthy food products such as lean protein and fiber. In addition to a healthy diet, some research suggests that adding probiotics, or live bacterial cultures like those found in yogurt, to your diet may also have health benefits.