High-fibre wheat-bran is associated with a significant increase in colorectal cancer

This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine 2000 Apr 20;342(16):1156-62

 

Study title and authors:

Lack of effect of a high-fiber cereal supplement on the recurrence of colorectal adenomas. Phoenix Colon Cancer Prevention Physicians' Network.

Alberts DS, Martínez ME, Roe DJ, Guillén-Rodríguez JM, Marshall JR, van Leeuwen JB, Reid ME, Ritenbaugh C, Vargas PA, Bhattacharyya AB, Earnest DL, Sampliner RE.

Arizona Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724-5024, USA. dalberts@azcc.arizona.edu

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10770980

This study evaluated the effect of wheat-bran fibre in patients who had had one or more histologically confirmed colorectal adenomas removed. The study, which lasted three years, included 1,303 patients, aged 40 to 80 years, who were given wheat-bran fibre supplementation of either:
(i) 13.5 grams a day (high-fibre group).
(ii) 2 grams a day (low-fibre group).

The study found:
(a) The high-fibre group had a 5.8% increased risk of death compared to the low-fibre group.
(b) The high-fibre group had a 9.2% increased risk of any cancer compared to the low-fibre group.
(c) The high-fibre group had a 215% increased risk of colorectal cancer compared to the low-fibre group.
(d) The number of patients who reported gastrointestinal effects was significantly higher in the high-fibre group than in the low-fibre group for all effects except constipation.
Reported gastrointestinal effects:
(i) Nausea: 69% higher in the high-fibre group.
(ii) Abdominal Pain: 60% higher in the high-fibre group.
(iii) Diarrhea: 82% higher in the high-fibre group.
(iv) Constipation: 5% lower in the high-fibre group.
(v) Intestinal gas: 46% higher in the high-fibre group.
(vi) Abdominal bloating: 66% higher in the high-fibre group.

The study reveals that high-fibre wheat-bran is associated with a significant increase in colorectal cancer.