Is Fiber Good For You?

Nutrition Action - Article quotes John Baron, professor of medicine, epidemiology, and community and family medicine emeritus, about a study on fiber and its role in preventing colon cancer. In a three-year trial, roughly 700 people who were told to eat 13 grams of wheat bran a day had no fewer new precancerous colon polyps than 700 others who were told to eat only two grams a day. And in a four-year trial, roughly 1,000 people who were told to eat a lower-fat diet rich in fiber (36 grams a day) from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains had no fewer polyps than 1,000 others who were told to eat their usual diet. "The trials were not ambiguous," says Baron. "They showed no effect."