Diseases which may be prevented or cured by means of therapeutic fasting and caloric restriction  
(experimental and clinical evidence: click to see scientific report)

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Anti-Aging Therapy
Fasting / low-calorie program on Adriatic Sea Coast
Study finds no link between fibre and cancer rate
 
 16.12.2007
A new study appears to debunk a longstanding notion that a diet high in fibre shields against colorectal cancer.
In a report set to be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, evidence suggests there is actually no relationship between fibre and lower colon cancer rates.
The international study followed 725,628 men and women for between six and 20 years. Over the course of the study, 8081 cases of colorectal cancer were identified.
Researchers found virtually no difference in colon cancer rates between those who ate an average of 15 grams of fibre per day and those who ate almost double, up to 28 grams per day.
"We found eating a high fibre diet did not protect people against colon cancer," Dr. Stephanie Smith, from the Warner/Harvard School of Public Health said. "People who ate higher amounts of fibre had the same risk."
For years, health experts have linked high fibre diets with lower colon cancer rates. They believed fibre kept people regular by bulking up stool and moving it through the system faster, in the process diluting carcinogens in the bowel.
And a recent study from Europe backed up the idea.
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial found a 25 per cent lower risk of colorectal cancer in subjects who had the highest daily intake of fibre, compared to subjects who had the lowest.
The authors of the most recent study admit results have been inconclusive in the past, and the issue isn't settled indefinitely.
"Because of these discordant results, the debate continues on whether dietary fibre consumption decreases colorectal cancer risk," the new study states.
Dr. David Jenkins, a professor at the University of Toronto's Department of Nutritional Sciences, said the conflicting results need to be sorted out.
"It's a big problem for the public and it's a problem for the scientists because we have to work out why there is this difference," said Jenkins. He suggested a study needs to include subjects who eat much higher amounts of fibre on a daily basis.
"I think we have to eat a lot more fibre than we have been doing now, and from a greater variety of sources: fruit, veggies, whole grains, cereals and legumes. That really has to be studied," Jenkins said.
But regardless of how a high fibre diet affects colon cancer rates, the authors of the study say daily fibre intake is still a good idea for a number of reasons.
"Although high dietary fibre intake may not have a major effect on the risk of colorectal cancer, a diet high in dietary fibre from whole plant foods can be advised because this has been related to lower risks of other chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes," the study concluded.

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