Promising findings on fiber and colon cancer. (research at the New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center)

Promising findings on fiber and colon cancer

For years scientists have theorized that a diet high in fiber may help reduce the risk of colon cancer, the deadliest kind next to cancer of the lung. But the evidence on which that theory is based comes largely from studies of animals, or from general observations of large populations, which are unable to pinpoint cause-and-effect relationships. That is, while these types of investigation disclose the prevalence of diseases and their possible linkage to dietary patterns, they cannot measure directly the impact of diet on disease from individual to individual.

Now, however, researchers' measurements have become more …