Wholemeal diet keeps cancer at bay
15 February 2002
Healthy adults should aim for at least 2 serves of wholemeal or whole-grain food a day to help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, The Cancer Council NSW has said.
This latest recommendation means that at least half of all daily bread, cereal, pasta and rice servings should be wholemeal or wholegrain.
The council has gone one step further than other cancer councils and the NHMRC's Dietary Guidelines for Australians, which give general recommendations about how much whole-grain food to eat.
Dr Graeme McIntosh, a project leader in the Gastrointestinal Health and Colon Cancer Prevention Program at CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition, said increasing fibre intake was important 'but it's not the whole story'.
'Fibre may be a marker for other substances with anti-cancer effects in the outer layers of grains such as phytates, phenolics, lignans and phytosterols.'
Last Reviewed: 07 February 2002
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 08/02/02
