Healthy habits like eating a diet high in fiber have been linked with a decreased risk of developing colon cancer, but researchers at the Medical College of Georgia may have identified a reason why that exists at the cellular level.

Colon cancer begins when damaged cells reproduce and spread, but in a new study scientists from Georgia say that fiber helps to feed bacteria in the colon that allows the body to turn off the switch on cancerous cells.

While fiber may allow the body to have the opportunity to remove the potentially dangerous cells, lead author Dr Vadivel Ganapathy says the body still needs a chemical like butyrate to flick the switch and start destroying colon cancer cells.

Though a chemical called butyrate is the most likely candidate for the task, Ganapathy says that niacin may serve a similar role and is better tolerated by patients.

He expects to begin clinical trials on niacin’s worth in enabling cancer cell deletion soon, potentially adding to the benefits of the vitamin, along with recent research that suggests the dietary supplement may contributed to reduced cholesterol levels.