Medical news can get confusing.
This year, there have been a number of studies contradicting the medical conventional wisdom that a high-fiber diet helps prevent colon cancer. For one thing, doctors at the National Cancer Institute say these studies only showed that fiber didn't keep colon cancer from recurring in people already prone to it. There's no evidence one way or another about whether or not fiber helps keep colon cancer or polyps that may become cancerous from occurring in the first place. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say there are other reasons to eat fiber. Some forms of fiber, like the kind found in oatmeal, may help prevent heart disease by regulating blood cholesterol levels.