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“The role of food is another area of intense focus. A seminal 2021 paper by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that patients eating a high-fiber diet responded better to treatment for melanoma: For every 5-gram increase in fiber intake, the risk of cancer progression or death fell 30%.”
Published
The claim that a 2021 MD Anderson study found a 30% reduction in melanoma progression risk for every 5-gram increase in fiber intake is supported. The original study, published in Science, and summaries from the National Cancer Institute and NIH all confirm this specific finding.
The CNN article references a "seminal 2021 paper" from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. This paper, published in the journal Science in December 2021, is well-documented in the provided sources. Both MD Anderson's own newsroom and the National Cancer Institute confirm the study's key finding: among melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy, "every 5-gram increase in daily fiber intake corresponded to a 30% lower risk of progression of the disease." The NIH summary also corroborates this exact statistic. The claim accurately reflects the results of the published research.
The claim is directly and repeatedly confirmed by the primary source (MD Anderson's news release) and two authoritative secondary sources (NCI and NIH). The evidence is unambiguous and leaves no room for doubt.
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4 reviewed sources behind this verdict.
This is the primary source from MD Anderson, the institution that conducted the study, confirming the specific statistic cited in the claim.
This is an official press release from the National Cancer Institute, a co-leader of the study, which independently confirms the 30% figure.
This NIH summary provides a third authoritative confirmation of the study's findings, reinforcing the accuracy of the claim.
Dietary fiber and probiotics influence the gut microbiome and melanoma immunotherapy response dietary fiber intake in late-stage melanoma