Mmmmm, Fiber

A new study in the British Medical Journal shows that a high-fiber diet can cut a person's risk of developing bowel cancer, reports the UK's Press Association. In a meta-analysis of 25 studies on bowel cancer, the researchers found that a diet high in fibrous foods — porridge, brown rice, and cereals in particular — ameliorated the risk of cancer. In fact, the authors write, for every 10-gram increase in daily fiber intake, there was a corresponding 10 percent drop in cancer risk. "There was also a 20 percent reduction in risk for every three servings a day (90g a day) of whole grains," the Press Association says. However, while the study says whole grains in particular lower the cancer risk, there is no evidence to suggest that fruit, vegetables, and legumes would have the same effect.