ABSTRACT
The possible role of dietary fiber in human colon cancer pathogenesis became of particular interest following epidemiologic studies in different populations; colon cancer was observed to be uncommon in many developing countries but relatively common among age-matched inhabitants of most Western nations. In large part, the hypothesis that fiber consumption may prevent subsequent colon cancer development appears to have emerged subsequent to the report by Higginson and Oettle
on studies in the Bantu of rural South Africa. Malhotra
subsequently found a low incidence of colon cancer in northern India, where the usual diet apparently contains large amounts of dietary fiber, and a high incidence of colon cancer in southern India, where the usual diet contains less cellulose. Later, the fiber hypothesis was widely popularized by Burkitt and colleagues,
and the possible role of fiber in prevention of the disease was emphasized.
