Simple ways to reduce bowel cancer risk
Since the 19060’s, red meat consumption has almost doubled in Australia, and this has been associated with Bowel cancer.
It seems like every week there are fresh news stories about cancer and other health related risks in our modern lifestyles, making it hard figure out the best way to combat these issues.
Studies at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer have found that foods containing resistant starch are able to counteract the cancer promoting molecules found in red meat.
Increasing the amount of resistant starch within the daily diet can be a simple way to reduce the cancer risk amongst other health benefits.
What is resistant starch?
Resistant starch is a type of dietary fibre, which, unlike other types, can be broken down by the large intestine.
This action promotes digestive health as it cultivates good bacteria in the bowel, which in turn produces short chain fatty acids that can be used as an energy source by the cells lining the colon.
Research conducted by the CSIRO has also found a number of other health benefits of consuming resistant starch including reduced DNA damage and reversed mucus thinning in the bowel (more information is available here)
Ways to increase resistant starch in your diet
Currently, most Australians eating a typical western diet consume around 4 grams per day of resistant starch. The CSIRO recommended the daily resistant starch intake is around 20 grams, per day.
There are a few simple ways to increase the resistant starch in your everyday diet. These include eating foods containing
- Green Bananas
- Beans
- Grains high in resistant starch
The BARLEYmax™ grain contains four times the resistant starch and two times the dietary fibre of a regular grain. Eating BARLEYmax™ is an easy way to consume resistant starch, click here to find out more about products containing BARLEYmax™.
Intended as general advice only. Consult your health care professional to discuss any specific concerns.
