Author: Judy Ford PhD
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, but its incidence varies greatly between countries. For many years, red and processed meats have been shown to be major dietary culprits. However, emerging evidence suggests that dietary salt may also play a significant role in raising risk — and other nutrients may reduce it. When we compare dietary patterns across different regions, the story becomes quite compelling.
Foods that Protect Against Bowel Cancer
One of the most encouraging aspects of bowel cancer prevention is that diet can be protective as well as harmful. Large population studies consistently show that a high-fibre diet, especially fibre from whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, lowers the risk of colorectal cancer. Fibre helps keep the bowel moving regularly, dilutes potential carcinogens, and is fermented by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which nourish the colon lining and reduce inflammation. Calcium (from dairy or plant-based sources) and yogurt have also been linked with lower risk, possibly because calcium binds to harmful compounds in the gut and probiotics in yogurt help maintain a healthy microbiome.
Diets rich in antioxidant-containing foods—like colourful fruits, leafy greens, nuts, and olive oil—may provide further protection by reducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, two key drivers of cancer development.
At a Glance – Protective Foods include:
- Fibre-rich foods: Whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables. These keep bowels moving and support gut bacteria.
- Calcium sources: Dairy, fortified plant milks, leafy greens. These bind harmful compounds in the gut.
- Yogurt & fermented foods: Provide probiotics that help maintain a healthy microbiome.
- Antioxidant-rich foods: Berries, nuts, olive oil, colourful vegetables reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
- Healthy fats: Olive oil[1], nuts, seeds and avocado support cell health and reduce inflammation. Olive Oil is especially important but can be replaced by Sesame oil which also has high levels of Oleic Acid.
Regional Comparisons: What does this tell us about the causes of Bowel Cancer?
The Eastern European countries of Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and North Macedonia have the highest rates of death from Bowel Cancer. Their diets are characterised by having the highest intakes of salt and processed red meats in the world! Also, the intake of ‘protective foods’ tends to be low.
- Salt: Exceptionally High
- Processed/Red Meat: High (traditional cured/smoked meats common)
- Fibre (fruit/veg/whole grain): Low
- Alcohol: High (beer, spirits, wine)
- Obesity/Overweight: Very high prevalence
- Protective foods (yogurt, legumes, olive oil, nuts): Relatively low
Pattern: “Westernised traditional diet” — high fat, high salt, low fibre → high bowel cancer incidence
China also has an exceptionally high intake of salt but until recently it has NOT been reflected in such a high incidence of Bowel Cancer. Nevertheless, the incidence of BC in China is rising.
- Salt: Very high (soy sauce, pickled foods)
- Processed/Red Meat: Historically low, but rapidly increasing in cities
- Fibre (fruit/veg/whole grain): Traditionally higher, but declining with urbanisation
- Alcohol: Variable (high in men, low in women)
- Obesity/Overweight: Historically low, but rising sharply in urban populations
- Protective foods (soy, tea, vegetables, fermented foods): Higher in many regions
Pattern: Traditionally plant-based, high-salt but diverse diet → historically lower bowel cancer, now rising with dietary Westernisation and may be associated with the increase in consumption of red meat.
Conclusion
While salt intake is a common thread in both Eastern Europe and China, the overall dietary pattern appears to influence cancer incidence more strongly than salt alone. In Eastern Europe, salt is combined with high meat consumption, low fibre, and obesity — a constellation of risks that drives high bowel cancer rates.
In contrast, China’s traditionally diverse, plant-based diet seems to have offered some protection in the past, though this may be eroding as Western dietary patterns take hold.
References
a. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2018). Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective. Continuous Update Project Expert Report. Available at: https://www.wcrf.org/diet-activity-and-cancer/ (Accessed 20 August 2025).
b. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (2015). Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat. The Lancet Oncology, 16(16), pp.1599–1600. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00444-1.
c. Song, M., Chan, A.T. and Fuchs, C.S. (2020). Diet, gut microbiota, and colorectal cancer prevention: a review of potential mechanisms and promising directions for future research. Gastroenterology, 158(2), pp.320–344. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2019.06.054.
d. GBD 2019 Colorectal Cancer Collaborators (2022). Global burden of colorectal cancer in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 7(7), pp.627–647. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00044-9.
e. Micha, R., Wallace, S.K. and Mozaffarian, D. (2010). Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation, 121(21), pp.2271–2283. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.924977.
f. Qui L et al (2025) The incidence, mortality, and survival rate of colorectal cancer in Xiamen, China, from 2011 to 2020 BMC Public Health 25, Article number: 176 (2025)
[1] Please read my books:
“Why We Age” – available from Amazon to understand why you need to consume Olive oil to reduce the inflammatory effects of ageing throughout your body.
“Stop Cancer in its Tracks” – This an intelligent lay person’s overview of various cancers and how to reduce risks.