Dr. McDougall comments on Larry King show promoting prostate cancer screening: “I believe he was duped into selling for the prostate cancer businesses at the expense of men’s health on this particular evening.

And in the recipe section of this month’s newsletter, they focus on bowls, including Incan, Monk, and Mayan bowl meals.

High-fiber diets may help prevent colon cancer, according to new results from the Polyp Prevention Trial. Previous studies yielded ambiguous findings about whether fiber could reduce the recurrence of colon polyps, which are often a first indication of colon cancer. The new report looked at participants who were the most compliant to a high-fruit-and-vegetable diet, finding that the diet reduced their odds of polyp recurrence by up to 35 percent and reduced their odds of advanced polyp recurrence almost 50 percent. The 1,905 participants were at least 35 years old and had at least one confirmed colorectal polyp. The test diet limited fat to 20 percent of calories, with 18 grams of fiber and 3.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per 1,000 calories.

In previous studies, plant-based and vegetarian diets have been associated with a much lower incidence of colon cancer.

Sansbury LB, Wanke K, Albert PS, et al. The effect of strict adherence to a high-fiber, high-fruit and-vegetable, and low-fat eating pattern on adenoma recurrence. Am J Epidemiol. 200;170:576-584.

Fraser GE. Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;70(suppl 3):532S-538S.

A study in next month’s Journal of Nutrition found that consumption of soy protein may help people with type 2 diabetes lower their cholesterol levels. Study participants who consumed soy protein reduced LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and the ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol significantly more than those who consumed milk protein. The study participants were 29 adults with type 2 diabetes. This randomized, double-blind study consisted of three phases: a 57-day consumption phase of one protein, a 28-day washout phase, and a 57-day consumption phase of the other protein. The amount of protein consumed from either source equaled 40 grams per day.

High cholesterol is a contributing factor to heart disease, and heart disease affects people with diabetes more than twice as much as those without diabetes.

Pipe EA, Gobert CP, Capes SE, Darlington GA, Lampe JW, Duncan AM. Soy protein reduces serum LDL cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol:HDL cholesterol and apolipprotein B:apolipprotein A-1 ratios in adults with type 2 diabetes. J Nutr. 2009;139:1700-1706.