Women who want to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer should consider eating more high fibre foods like fruits and vegetables, according to the results of a new journal review linking dietary fibre intake to ovarian cancer.
The review, published in in October this year, shows an association between the amount of fibre eaten by people living in Australia, North America, Italy and Sweden, and their risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Researchers found that the risk of developing ovarian cancer was reduced by 22 per cent in the group of people who ate the highest amounts of daily dietary fibre.
They also discovered that for every 10 gram increase in the amount of fibre consumed each day, the risk of ovarian cancer may reduce by 12 per cent.
“This meta-analysis provides evidence for the hypothesis that a higher intake of dietary fibre is inversely associated with ovarian cancer risk, consistent with a dose-response relationship,” the review reads.
They also discovered that for every 10 gram increase in the amount of fibre consumed each day, the risk of ovarian cancer may reduce by 12 per cent.
The researchers drew on the results of 13 studies conducted around the world in the USA, Australia, Canada, Italy, Sweden and Mexico between 1994 and 2015. The data analysed included over 142,000 participants and almost 6,000 ovarian cancer cases.
The authors noted that an , included in the analysis, highlights how fibre from vegetables helped to protect the body against ovarian cancer. However, fibre from cereals (grain) did not produce the same result.
“We observed a significant positive association with cereal fibre intake, which [was] probably caused by a high ratio between starch and fibre intake in the Italian population….,” the review reads. The review’s authors reasons that starch may overwhelm the possible protective action of fibre, and conclude that more research is needed to prove this association.
Other previous studies suggest similar results to the new review.
A Chinese review of 17 studies featuring around 150,000 participants and over 7,600 ovarian cancer patients from the US, Europe and Asia was
The review’s authors state at the outset that “the effect of dietary fibre intake on ovarian cancer risk remains controversial” and therefore wanted to determine whether fibre can help reduce risk.
The results show that “the highest category of dietary fibre intake could significantly reduce the risk of ovarian cancer compared with the lowest intake”. The authors go onto suggest that the consumption of dietary fibre “could prevent the development of ovarian cancer”.
The review’s authors state at the outset that “the effect of dietary fibre intake on ovarian cancer risk remains controversial”.
found a link between dietary fibre intake and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (fallopian tube cancer) in southern Chinese women.
The study involved 500 ovarian cancer patients and 500 control subjects and considered the participant’s consumption of Chinese food.
“The ovarian cancer patients reported lower intake levels of total dietary fibre and fibre derived from vegetables, fruits and cereals than those of controls," reads the 2015 study.
“…Similar reduction in risk was also apparent for high intake level of vegetable fibre, but to a lesser extent for fruit fibre and cereal fibre.”
is the second most common female reproductive malignant tumour, with 240,000 new cases each year. It’s also the in gynecological malignancy, responsible for over 150,000 new deaths annually worldwide.
According to , ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer affecting women nationwide. In 2016, there were 938 deaths caused by ovarian cancer in Australia.
The 2018 review recommends that people eat more fibre each day, as a possible way to prevent ovarian cancer.
“Fibre is mainly consumed through daily diet with cereal, fruit, and vegetable. The mean dietary fibre intake in United States and most European countries is 15 grams a day, which is considerably less than the recommended amount (approximately 25–38 grams a day),” the review reads.
“Considering the public health burden of ovarian cancer, increasing dietary fibre intake in the general population is of importance for ovarian cancer prevention.”
The advises that Australians eat at least 25-30 grams of fibre each day. Foods that are high in fibre include fruits and vegetables, kidney beans, nuts, seeds, whole grain bread, raw lentils and chickpeas.
