Role of non‐digestible carbohydrates in colon cancer protection

The contribution of non‐digestible carbohydrates to colon cancer protection is becoming more clearly established. While the causes of colon cancer are multifold, experimental and epidemiological evidence suggests that various dietary components play a significant role in the mitigation of various colon cancer‐inducing factors. Recent developments in the characterization and quantification of these components, which include fructooligosaccharides, dietary fiber and resistant starch, indicate an association between their intake and colon cancer prevention. Considerable physicochemical modifications occur in the colon with the presence of non‐digestible carbohydrates, primarily because these carbohydrates act as selective prebiotic fermentation substrates for beneficial colonic probiotic bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA). These SCFA elicit effects such as alteration in preneoplastic lesions, enzyme induction, suppression of mutations, and binding of potential carcinogens. Prebiotic‐probiotic interaction and activity is therefore key in colon cancer protection by non‐digestible carbohydrates.