Cancer Researchers Agree: New Colon Cancer Studies Send Wrong Message

American Institute for Cancer Research
Thursday, 20 April 2000

We wish to remind the public that the scientific evidence linking consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains to cancer prevention is clear and convincing. In study after study, components within these foods have demonstrated the ability to protect against - and sometimes even reverse - the cancer process.

Two recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), however, have failed to find a link between lowered risk for colon cancer and two kinds of diets: low-fat, high-fiber diets that feature fruits and vegetables and diets that include high-fiber cereal supplements. We wish to stress that these results should be viewed carefully. These two studies do not in any way suggest that individuals should abandon healthy diets as a means of cancer prevention.

Scientific evidence builds slowly, and each new published study must be viewed in relation to all previous findings. To date, well over 4,500 studies on the link between diet and cancer have been completed. These investigations were carried out across the globe by thousands of researchers using very different methods and measurements. Their results consistently point to the health-promoting, cancer-fighting benefits of diets high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans.

The two NEJM studies are significant contributions to the literature, but they can not and do not close the discussion. If anything, they underscore the real need for further research and analysis.

Both studies, for example, involved only short-term (four-year) adjustments to the diet. We know that colon cancer is a disease that can take decades to develop. Convincing epidemiological evidence suggests that a healthy diet has its greatest preventive effect as a lifelong commitment, not a stopgap measure.

In fact, even if the results of these two studies are borne out by further research, they may best be viewed as incentives for a lifetime commitment to healthy eating. Whether or not four years of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans protect against cancer, there is ample and growing evidence that a lifetime of these foods will do so.

For more information, or to contact American Institute for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.aicr.org