The Study
Global, regional, and national burden of disease associated with low-fiber dietary patterns for colorectal cancer from 1990 to 2021: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease 2021
This study looked at lots of people around the world and found that those who ate less fiber tended to get more colon cancer. But it didn’t prove that eating less fiber caused the cancer — maybe people who eat less fiber also smoke more or exercise less, and those things could be the real reason.
Analysis score
Maximum 85 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Not eating enough fiber is linked to more people getting and dying from colon cancer, especially in older adults and poorer countries.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 539 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this is a huge, preventable health problem: if everyone ate enough fiber, tens of thousands of deaths could be avoided each year.
- 2Low-fiber diets caused 13,145 deaths and 305,676 years of healthy life lost in 2021.
- 3People who eat less than 25g of fiber a day have 34% higher odds of colon cancer.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicine
Year
2026
Authors
Mingming Yin, Anmin Wang, Han-Wen Li, Chunyu Yang, Yuzhou Cai, Yujian Zeng
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who consume more dietary fiber relative to their total energy intake have a lower likelihood of developing colorectal cancer.
Although the rate of colorectal cancer deaths per person has decreased since 1990, the total number of deaths from this cancer linked to low-fiber diets has risen because the global population has grown and aged.
In Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, more people die from colorectal cancer linked to low-fiber diets compared to other regions, with Cambodia having the highest rate at 1.12 deaths per 100,000 people, reflecting differences in dietary habits across regions.
Colorectal cancer deaths linked to low-fiber diets are highest in middle-income countries and lower in both poorer and wealthier countries, suggesting that economic development and dietary changes interact in complex ways with cancer risk.
Diets low in fiber, defined as less than 25 grams per day, are linked to approximately 13,145 deaths and 305,676 years of lost healthy life from colorectal cancer globally in 2021, with the greatest impact seen in people over 50 and in low- and middle-income countries.
In countries where people have shifted from traditional diets to more processed, low-fiber foods, deaths from colorectal cancer have increased sharply—by more than 480% in some places—suggesting that this dietary shift is strongly linked to higher cancer mortality.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.