A new study has indicated that the use of probiotics may help to prevent colon cancer.
Colon cancer, or bowel cancer, is the world's fourth most prevalent cancer.
A paper, soon to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that probiotics may help suppress the DNA damage that triggers colon cancer.
Prof Ian Rowland, at the University of Ulster, outlined the research findings of his team at a symposium in London examining the health benefits of probiotic drinks earlier this month.
During trials, volunteers were fed a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics or placebo for eight weeks and indicators of colon cancer risk were measured.
"Those subjects on the pro and prebiotics had less DNA damage and a lower rate of cell proliferation in biopsies taken from their colons. This feeding of pro and prebiotics also saw improvements in certain characteristics of faeces samples that may indicate reduced cancer risk.
"Whilst this evidence is not definitive, the study does suggest that the extensive data showing anti-cancer activity from experiments in animals and isolated cells may apply to humans, and that more studies in human volunteers are warranted," Prof Rowland told the symposium.
Prebiotics are food substances which promote the growth of probiotic bacteria. Prebiotic carbohydrates are found in such fruit and vegetables as bananas, berries, asparagus, garlic, wheat, oatmeal, barley and other wholegrains.
"There is a lot of evidence from studies on cell cultures and in animals that probiotics, prebiotics and combinations of the two can exert anti-cancer effects. Until recently, there has been little work conducted in humans," he added.
Colon cancer is the commonest non-skin cancer in Ireland, making up about 10 per cent of all new cancers diagnosed and it is more prevalent in men than in women. One in every 20 men and one in 30 women will develop this cancer before the age of 75 and half will die as a result, according to the National Cancer Registry.
High intakes of fat, red meat and refined sugar are linked with increased risk of bowel cancer. Eating plenty of vegetables and wholegrains is linked with a decreased risk.
Also addressing the symposium, Dr Tony Leeds, King's College London, pointed to emerging research that suggests that probiotics may play a role in appetite suppression.
He said preliminary research had identified a peptide in the gut that may, when activated by a probiotic, send an internal message to the body to stop eating. Dr Leeds indicated that this development had the potential to play a future role in weight management and obesity.