Dietary Fiber and Cancer

Cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. It is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Dietary fiber and its related components associated to vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have shown to protect mammals against cancer. Both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers have been related to a risk reduction of different types of cancer such as colon, breast, and prostate cancer, among others. The specific mechanisms through which dietary fiber can prevent the incidence of cancer are diverse and range from the entrapment of harmful dietary and toxic components within the fiber matrix to the production of short-chain fatty acids in the hind gut and down-regulation of proteins involved in cancer progression. This chapter reviews the current knowledge concerning the mechanisms by which dietary fiber and its bonded compounds protect humans against colon, breast and prostate cancers.