Fiber improves gastrointestinal health by cleaning the inside walls of the small intestine and large intestine. This in turn leads to proper bowel movements. Fiber also might play a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer, which affects the gland that secretes fluid that is part of semen.
Prostate Cancer Risk
Researchers from the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacolgiche Mario Negri in Italy studied the relationship between fiber intake and prostate cancer risk. They discovered that men with the highest fiber intake, especially from vegetables, lowered their prostate cancer risk compared to those with the lowest fiber intake. Scientists reported their findings in the March 2004 issue of the "International Journal of Cancer."
Low Fat, High Fiber Diet
Scientists from Physiological Science in UCLA investigated the mechanism behind the ability of a low fat, high fiber diet to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They reported in the April 2009 issue of the "Evidence Based Complement Alternative Medicine," that adhering to a low fat, high fiber diet increases apoptosis, or cell death, of LNCaP cells and IGF-1, both of which increase prostate cancer growth. A low fat, high fiber diet might be effective in preventing and treating prostate cancer, according to researchers.
No Association
In research published in the January 2009 issue of the "International Journal of Cancer," researchers from the University of Oxford explored the impact of dietary fiber intake and prostate cancer risk. They found no association between fiber intake from fruit, cereal and vegetables, and prostate cancer risk. Researchers found that total fiber and fruit fiber lowered the risk for prostate cancer, but these reductions were not significant.
Side Effects and Interactions
Increasing your fiber intake may result in adverse effects, including bloating, gas, cramping and diarrhea. Therefore, slowly increase your fiber intake on a daily basis. In addition, fiber supplements may interact with certain medications, including warfarin, digoxin and Tylenol, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University website.
References
- "International Journal of Cancer"; Fibre Intake and Prostate Cancer Risk; C. Pelucchi et al.; March 2004
- "Evidence Based Complement Alternative Medicine"; Analyzing Serum-Stimulated Prostate Cancer Cell Lines After Low-Fat, High-Fiber Diet and Exercise Intervention; S. Soliman et al.; April 2009
- "International Journal of Cancer"; A Prospective Analysis of the Association Between Dietary Fiber Intake and Prostate Cancer Risk in EPIC; R. Suzuki et al.; January 2009
- Linus Pauling Instiute: Fiber
