Low-Fat Diet Fails to Cut Polyps in High-Risk People, Study Says

Switching to a low-fat, high-fiber diet or using bran fiber supplements does not reduce the incidence of intestinal polyps in people who, because they have already had such polyps surgically removed, are considered to be at high risk of colorectal cancer, according to two large clinical trials reported in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. Between 5% and 10% of such polyps progress to cancer if they are not removed. The results surprised researchers, because epidemiological studies had suggested that such diets could significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Some experts speculated that the study, which lasted only four years, was not long enough to demonstrate a benefit.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II