Let food be thy medicine: the role of diet in colorectal cancer: a narrative review

Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology

article

Ying Zheng¹  Lingnan Meng¹  Hao Liu²  Lijuan Sun²  Yongzhan Nie¹  Qiong Wu²  Daiming Fan¹  Mengbin Li³ 

[1] National Center for International Research of Biotargeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Biotargeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Biotargeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University;National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Air Force Military Medical University;Department of Clinical Nutrition, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University

关键词: Colorectal cancer (CRC);    diet;    nutrition;    prevention;    treatment;   

DOI  :  10.21037/jgo-22-32

学科分类：肿瘤学

来源: Pioneer Bioscience Publishing Company

【 摘 要 】

Background and Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, and the incidence and mortality rates continue to increase annually. Many factors, including genetic, immune, and environmental factors, influence the occurrence and development of CRC. Along with the economic development, changes in lifestyle, especially dietary factors, have been shown to greatly affect the progression of CRC. Increasing evidence showed that dietary patterns influence the risk of CRC and affect CRC treatment. The present review describes the role of diet in the prevention and treatment of CRC with the hope that doctors attach importance to dietary patterns in educating patients with CRC or at risk of CRC and that diet may be regarded as an auxiliary treatment strategy to improve patients’ outcomes. Methods: English language articles published from 2000 to December 2021 in PubMed and Embase were identified by searching titles for keywords including “diet”, “colorectal cancer”, “dietary pattern”, and “dietary factor”; 101 articles were selected for review. Key Content and Findings: The present review describes the role of different dietary patterns and factors in the prevention and treatment of CRC. We found that dietary intervention is closely related to the occurrence, development, and prognosis of CRC. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, fasting, vegetarian diets and the ketogenic diet (KD) were found to reduce the risk of CRC, prolong patient survival, and delay disease progression. Moderate intake of dietary fiber (DF), omega-3 fatty acids, micronutrients (e.g., calcium, iron, and selenium), and vitamins have been shown to be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of CRC. Conversely, diets high in fat or sugar and those rich in red meat or processed meat promote CRC. Conclusions: People at high risk of CRC and those with CRC are recommended to eat a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains with appropriate DF intake and to avoid high levels of processed meat, red meat, and highly refined grains.

【 授权许可】

Unknown