Science / Medicine : Bran Appears to Slow Cancer

A diet rich in wheat bran appears to slow the rapid cell growth typical of colo-rectal cancer, providing further evidence to suggest that bran may help ward off such cancer, researchers reported last week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In a pilot study, University of Arizona researchers gave about half a cup of cereal rich in wheat bran fiber daily to 17 patients at high risk for recurrent colo-rectal cancer for two months. All the patients had undergone surgery to remove colon or rectal cancer.

Before and after the bran regimen, researchers took biopsies of the mucous membrane lining the rectum to determine how rapidly those cells were multiplying. Their studies revealed that cell growth declined 22% overall. Of the eight patients with unusually high rates of cell growth before receiving the supplement, four showed “a significant decrease” after the dietary regimen, three showed no change and one experienced a significant increase, researchers said.

The researchers emphasized their results should not be “over-interpreted” since their study was small and results need to be confirmed by a larger study now under way.