By: Katya Surapuraju
By iStock
Each year, there are around 19 million reported cancer cases and the survival rate is at an alarming 44%. A cure to cancer has been sought after for centuries and although there is no “cure” to cancer, we have found several ways to effectively eradicate tumours and we’re beginning to unravel new information about cancer and fighting it. A study spanning more than 20 years and with over a 1,000 participants around the world have found an important result; people with lynch syndrome can reduce the risk of developing a cancer by 60% by adding more resistance starch to their diet.
Resistant starch is a type of starch that passes through the small intestine and then ferments in the large intestine, where it feeds beneficial gut bacteria. This starch can be found in slightly green bananas, oats, pasta, rice, peas and beans.
The study involved people with a condition known as Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome is one of the most common predispositions to cancer. Around 1 in 300 people have been estimated to carry an associated gene. Lynch syndrome increases one’s susceptibility to developing a range of different cancers. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group unknowingly received a 30 gram dose of resistance starch which is roughly equivalent to eating a slightly unripe banana everyday. The other group received a placebo that looked like powdered starch but didn’t contain any active ingredients. The two groups have been studied for 10 years and the results have shown that there had only been 5 new cases of upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers among the first group while there had been 21 cases of GI cancer among the second group indicating a remarkable reduction.
The lead researcher and nutritionist John Mathers says “We think that resistant starch may reduce cancer development by changing the bacterial metabolism of bile acids and to reduce those types of bile acids that can damage our DNA and eventually cause cancer, however, this needs further research." So perhaps a banana a day keeps the oncologist away?
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