Resistant Starch Intake Decreases Colorectal Cancer Risk

Colorectal cancer risk linked to high red meat consumption can be reduced by eating a type of starch that acts like fiber, a new research shows.

Researchers explained that resistant starch reverses the effects of the colorectal cancer-promoting miRNAs, the miR-17-92 cluster. The research team found that study participants who consumed 300 grams of lean red meat daily for four weeks had a 30 percent increase in the levels of certain genetic molecules called miR-17-92 in the rectal tissue. 

"This finding supports consumption of resistant starch as a means of reducing the risk associated with a high red meat diet," said Karen J. Humphreys, PhD, a research associate at the Flinders Center for Innovation in Cancer at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.

The meat consumption in the United States, the European Union and the developed world has seen a rise from the 1960s. Unlike other starches, the resistant starch does not get digested in the stomach and small intestine, and passes through to the colon where it has similar properties to fiber. The starch is then readily fermented by gut microbes in order to produce beneficial molecules called short-chain fatty acids, i.e., butyrate, researchers explained in a press release.

"Good examples of natural sources of resistant starch include bananas that are still slightly green, cooked and cooled potatoes [such as potato salad], whole grains, beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Scientists have also been working to modify grains such as maize so they contain higher levels of resistant starch," Humphreys said.

A recent research on colorectal cancer showed that chilli pepper can reduce the risk of the disease. Researchers said that intake of chilli pepper lowers the risk of colorectal cancer by setting off chronic activation of a receptor or an ion channel called TRPV1.

The current study was published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.