i’ve heard how beneficial fiber is for reducing your risk of colon cancer, but no one’s ever really explained the why behind it to me.
In: Biology
One of the risk factors for colon cancer is a high fat diet. Another risk factor for colon cancer is high levels of bile acid in the digestive tract. It makes sense, because high levels of fat and bile acids are linked. High levels of dietary fat trigger cholecystokinin. Cholecystokinin is a hormone which triggers the gallbladder to contract and release bile. Bile helps us to break down and absorb fat.
So, why does fiber help? Fiber binds to bile acids and helps carry them out of the body. More fiber equals lower levels of bile acids hanging out in the GI tract equals lower risk of colon cancer.
Another way fiber helps is that fiber decreases transit time. Transit time is the time it takes for food to travel from the mouth to the anus. A prolonged transit time is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer.
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