LYON, FRANCE, JUNE 23, 2001: New research indicates that eating lots of red meat may create as much of a certain cancer-promoting chemical in the colon as smoking does. The findings, presented in Lyon at the European Conference on Nutrition and Cancer, were part of a study that supports the theory that fiber wards off colon cancer, the second most deadly cancer worldwide. This latest research, linking eating habits and cancer, found that those who ate a high-fiber diet rich in fruits, vegetables and grains, had 40 percent less chance of developing colon cancer than those who ate the least roughage. The study involved 406,323 people from nine European countries. The findings redeem fiber as a potential anti-cancer agent. According to Dr. Sheila Bingham of Cambridge University, who led the study, lab tests have shown that the combination of red meat and colon bacteria produce chemicals called n-nitroso compounds, some of which are cancerous. One of them, known as NNK, is found in tobacco smoke.
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