Increasing evidence shows that diet plays a major role in the development of some cancers. Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ’08–’13), of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues, found that eating more fiber after colorectal cancer diagnosis is associated with a lower risk of dying from colorectal cancer. The researchers collected data on 1,575 men and women who took part in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and who had been treated for colon or rectal cancer that had not spread. Specifically, the study looked at total fiber consumption in the eight years after the participants’ cancer diagnosis. The greatest benefit was attributed to fiber from cereals and whole grains, according to the report. Vegetable fiber was linked to an overall reduction in death, but not specifically in death from colon cancer, and fiber from fruit was not linked to a reduction in death from any cause. The report was published in JAMA Oncology.

Read more about the study here.

This post was originally published by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. It is republished with permission.