Food influences the risk of colorectal cancer, confirms a study

Montreal – Food choices have a direct impact on the risk of colorectal cancer, confirms a new study.
The team led by a British researcher thus found that dairy products or dietary fibers have beneficial effects, while excessive consumption of alcohol or transformed meat can increase the risk.
“It is a confirmation or validation of the data we already had,” commented Doctor Roy Hajjar, who is a colorectal surgeon in the CHUM. It consolidates our knowledge on the subject. “
The probable protective role of calcium “can be linked to its ability to bind to bile acids and free fatty acids in the light of the colon, thus reducing their potentially carcinogenic effects”, explain researchers in the Nature Communications scientific newspaper.
When cooking at high temperature or the transformation of meats, carcinogenic compounds – such as heterocyclical amines and nitrosamines – are formed. These substances can damage colon cells and therefore promote the appearance of precancerous lesions.
Alcohol, for its part, produces acetaldehyde by decomposing into the body. It is a mutagenic molecule that disrupts the normal functioning of intestinal cells.
“When we talk about what connects food at the risk of cancer, we know that there are associations, but we do not yet have all the answers,” said Doctor Hajjar.
A fiber -rich diet could however counter these harmful effects. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes could reduce exposure of intestinal walls to harmful substances by increasing the volume of stools and accelerating their passage in the intestine.
In addition, during their fermentation by the microbiota, these fibers produce short chain fatty acids which can protect the intestinal mucosa.
“We know that the fibers, and especially the fermented fibers, increase the concentration of beneficial and anti -cancerigen compounds in the intestine,” said Doctor Hajjar. We even think that it could decrease the risk of recurrence after surgery. ”
In addition to confirming well -established positive associations between the consumption of alcohol, red meat and transformed meat and the risk of colorectal cancer, “this vast prospective analysis provides solid evidence of the protective role of food calcium”, summarize the authors study.
The fact remains that consumers end up no longer knowing where to give the head by dint of being bombed with food advice which may seem contradictory. Alcohol, for example, if it seems to increase the risk of colorectal cancer, can apparently reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease if consumed in moderation.
“We do not yet have all the data to tell people to eat such a quantity or to drink such a quantity,” admitted Doctor Hajjar. The best recommendation is to adopt moderation. But in the coming years, we hope to have clearer recommendations for specific contexts adapted to each situation. ”