02/28/2019 / By Ellaine Castillo
Fiber is an important part of a person’s diet. It is known for its beneficial effects on the gut, heart, and metabolism. However, few people know that this nutrient also helps prevent breast cancer.
There two kinds of fiber in food, soluble and insoluble. The former is commonly found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, lentils, and peas. It easily dissolves in the presence of water and once in the gut, soluble fiber slows down digestion. Meanwhile, insoluble fiber, also known as roughage, is found in whole grains, wheat bran, parsnips, and spinach. This gut is unable to digest this kind of fiber so it just passes through the digestive system. On its way out, insoluble fiber brushes the insides of the colon. This helps eliminate harmful substances so that they don’t accumulate in the body.
There is a growing body of evidence regarding fiber’s role in the prevention of breast cancer. Some studies attribute this effect to the ability of insoluble fibers to regulate glucose metabolism and insulin levels. Experts claim that insulin resistance and high blood pressure increase the risk of breast cancer by up to 300 percent. This means that by eating adequate amounts of fiber, you can significantly reduce this risk.
Both insoluble and soluble fiber also have the ability to regulate hormones. This is especially beneficial against estrogen-positive breast cancer since women with this health problem can have estrogen levels that are up to one million times higher than normal.
When estrogen is broken down, the excess is sent to the colon so that it can be flushed out of the body. However, inadequate levels of insoluble fiber inhibit the large intestine from moving things along. So, instead of leaving the body, estrogen is recirculated. This can cause an estrogen overload. If a person has enough insoluble fiber in their body, this problem will not occur and estrogen can be eliminated properly.
Soluble fiber is also beneficial for the prevention of estrogen-positive breast cancer. This is because of its part in hormonal distribution as well as its interactions with the immune system. The gut, which contains 80 percent of the immune system, ferments soluble fiber from different plant-based foods. This process produces byproducts that nourish immune cells, effectively reducing inflammation that contributes to the growth of cancer cells.
Overall, scientific evidence suggest that fiber prevents breast cancer by boosting the immune system, regulating hormones, and keeping the gut healthy. (Related: Fiber-rich diet may drastically reduce risk of breast cancer.)
Diet is a major factor in the prevention of all kinds of cancer. Here are some other things that you should keep in mind when building your cancer-prevention diet.
If you’d like to read more news articles on how you can prevent cancer naturally, visit Anticancer.news.
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