Soluble and insoluble fiber influences on cancer development

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Section snippets

  • 1.

    Introduction

    • 1.1.

      Dietary fiber and health

    • 1.2.

      Dietary fiber types and characteristics

  • 2.

    Epidemiological and experimental evidence

    • 2.1.

      Colon cancer

    • 2.2.

      Breast cancer

    • 2.3.

      Endometrial cancer

  • 3.

    Mechanistic considerations

    • 3.1.

      Influence on the alimentary canal

      • 3.1.1.

        Transit, fecal mass and binding

      • 3.1.2.

        Bile acids

      • 3.1.3.

        Cholesterol

      • 3.1.4.

        Short chain fatty acids

      • 3.1.5.

        Proliferation

        • 3.1.5.1.

          Normal epithelium

        • 3.1.5.2.

          Carcinogenesis

    • 3.2.

      Hormone influence

      • 3.2.1.

        Insulin

      • 3.2.2.

        Sex hormones

  • 4.

    Future perspectives

    • 4.1.

      Preventive measures

    • 4.2.

      Research priorities

  • 5.

    Reviewers

  • 6.

    Acknowledgements

  • 7.

    Bibliography

  • 8.

    Biographies

Epidemiological

Epidemiological and experimental evidence

A major stimulus to research on the role of fiber in cancer and other chronic disease development was provided by the observations of Burkitt and Trowell, on the basis of their long years of experience in the Colonial Service in Uganda [19]. The striking lack of colon cancer, diverticular disease, gallstones, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and obesity that they observed in the native Africans, in marked contrast to the case in Britain, prompted them to suggest that differences in levels of

Transit, fecal mass and binding

The composition of the diet can exert a very pronounced influence on the gross dimensions of the alimentary canal. For example, elongation of the colon is caused by high cellulose intake, and both the colon and the small intestine demonstrate a greater mucosal area in animals treated with pectin [48]. Amylose starch similarly increases colon length in pigs [49]. The morphology of the gut may also be altered, with flattening of the villi by semi-purified dietary fiber [50]. Unfortunately, the

Preventive measures

From the data available in the literature, it is obvious that efforts to increase the consumption of dietary fiber deserve more attention. The question is how to achieve the most favorable results with regard to all of the chronic diseases which may be influenced. This in turn demands an in depth understanding of the impact of different fiber types on gut and general body physiology, as stressed earlier by Jacobs [108]. Clearly, intentionally mixing of fibers from different sources can achieve

Reviewers

This article was kindly reviewed by Prof. Dr Helmut Bartsch, Division of Toxicology and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Centre, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany and Prof. Dr Harri Vainio, Unit of Chemoprevention, IARC 150 cours Albert Thomas, Lyon Cedex 08, France.

Acknowledgements

During the drafting of this review Malcolm A. Moore and Cheol Beom Park were recipients of Foreign Research Fellowships from the Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research Program for Invitation of Foreign Researchers.

Malcolm Moore obtained his Ph.D. in the Department of Pathology, Bristol University, in 1979 and has for most of the intervening period been engaged in carcinogenesis research in the German Cancer Research Centre, the University of New South Wales and various institutions in Japan.

Cheol Beom Park, subsequent to graduating from the Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Soeul University, in 1991 has been working as a veterinary Pathologist at the Korean National Institute for Toxicological Research. Both

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    Malcolm Moore obtained his Ph.D. in the Department of Pathology, Bristol University, in 1979 and has for most of the intervening period been engaged in carcinogenesis research in the German Cancer Research Centre, the University of New South Wales and various institutions in Japan.

    Cheol Beom Park, subsequent to graduating from the Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Soeul University, in 1991 has been working as a veterinary Pathologist at the Korean National Institute for Toxicological Research. Both are presently guests at the Japanese National Cancer Centre in the Chemotherapy Division headed by Hiroyuki Tsuda.

    Hiroyuki Tsuda himself obtained his MD from Nagoya City University in 1969, where he was also awarded his Ph.D. He has gained experience in laboratories in Canada and Germany and since being appointed to his present position, in 1993, has been concentrating attention on identification of promising compounds for application in the cancer prevention field.

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