Some Types of Dietary Fiber May Fight Colon Cancer
Fast Facts:
- Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet. You should aim to get about 30g of fiber from whole foods every day.
- Resistant starch is a special type of fiber that helps fight colon cancer by feeding healthy gut bacteria.
- Gut bacteria break down resistant starch and turn it into, butyrate, a chemical messenger that signals cancer cells to die. Butyrate also decreases inflammation, feeds healthy bacteria and feeds healthy colon cells.
If you’ve been reading the CheckIt4Andretti blog- or any other source about nutrition- you know that doctors recommend avoiding processed foods, choosing lean proteins and getting plenty of fiber. There’s new research that shows how eating certain types of fiber may actually help fight colorectal cancer by feeding healthy gut cells and causing cancer cells to die off. The best part is that the foods with this type of “fiber,” called resistant starch, are nutritious, delicious and packed with protein. Let’s take a look at types of fiber and resistant starch and how they’re thought to work.
Fiber vs starch: What’s the difference?
Your doctor has probably told you to try to get about 25-35 grams (about 1 ounce) of fiber every day. They’ll also recommend you eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains to reach your fiber goals. Fiber is basically the building blocks of plants. Fiber makes up the rigid structure of plants and also the plant’s cell walls. Animal products don’t contain fiber.
Fiber can be soluble- meaning it dissolves in the fluid of your gut. Soluble fiber makes a gel when it dissolves. This slows down absorption of nutrients, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol. The amazing thing about soluble fiber is that our body can’t digest it, but the healthy bacteria in our gut can.
Some fiber is insoluble– meaning it doesn’t dissolve. It serves as “roughage,” which helps keep bowels moving and regular. Insoluble fiber can’t be digested by our bodies or bacteria. Its job is to make sure that toxins and chemicals pass through the gut quickly so they’re less likely to cause inflammation. The less time toxins are in contact with our gut cells, the less likely they are to cause cancer.
Starch, on the other hand, is a long chain of sugars like glucose. Starch is a way for plants to store excess sugar. Plants break down stored starch and use it as food when they need to. People can digest some types of starch, but other types of starch can’t be digested by people and are considered “resistant.”
Resistant starch is sometimes called “starchy fiber” or “prebiotic fiber.” Prebiotics feed our gut bacteria. Resistant starch passes through our stomach and small bowel and into the colon where our gut bacteria can digest it.
What’s special about resistant starch?
Resistant starch is found in the same foods as fiber, so it’s sometimes lumped in together. In some ways, it can act like both soluble and insoluble fiber. What’s special about resistant starch is that it is broken down by the gut bacteria into a powerful short chain fatty acid called butyrate.
Butyrate is a powerhouse chemical. It has many positive effects in the gut. Some of the most important effects of butyrate include:
- Turns on genes that tell cancer cells to die
- Decreased inflammation in the colon
- Feeds the healthy cells in the colon (colonocytes)
- Feeds the healthy bacteria in the colon (microbiome)
- Butyrate may also block signals that turn normal cells into cancer cells
Can I take a supplement to get enough fiber or resistant starch?
Maybe. There are lots of supplements on the market for fiber (think Metamucil) and resistant starch supplements made from potatoes, corn, lentils and green bananas. Recently, butyrate supplements have also become available.
If you know you’re not going to eat foods with fiber, or if you have a medical condition that keeps you from eating fiber-rich foods, then a supplement might be a good option for you. But most doctors and nutritionists will recommend getting enough of all the types of fiber by eating whole, unprocessed food. Whole foods have other nutritional benefits including vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and phytonutrients that are missing in supplements.
So what foods are best to eat for fiber?
Fiber can be found in most fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Some specific foods to consider to boost the amount of resistant starch in your diet include:
- Whole grains: oatmeal, whole wheat, brown rice, pearl barley
- Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas
- Vegetables: artichokes, corn
- Green bananas, plantains
- Sourdough bread
- Dairy: butter, ghee and cheese (limit if you already have high cholesterol)
- Dark chocolate (>70% very low sugar)
The amount of resistant starch in many of these foods is increased when they are cooked then cooled. For example, cold potato salad and cold rice has much higher amounts of resistant starch than warm dishes containing the same foods. Cooking and cooling causes a chemical change in the starch.
The Bottom Line
Getting enough fiber can play a big role in reducing your risk of getting colon cancer. Insoluble fiber and resistant starch are special nutrients that people can’t digest, but which feed our healthy gut bacteria, turn off cancer pathways, fight inflammation and tell cancer cells to die. Eating whole foods is the best way to get enough fiber, but supplements may help.
Remember, fiber is only one part of a healthy diet. What you don’t eat can be as important as what you do eat. Exercise and a healthy lifestyle- not smoking, getting enough sleep, reducing stress and limiting alcohol- are critical, too. Colon cancer screening is always a vital part of preventing colorectal cancer. Get checked for the ones you love. CheckIt4Andretti.
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