How could diet affect CRC?

    Last Updated: October 25, 2023

    A person’s diet has a significant impact on their risk of CRC. Prudent dietary patterns — such as the Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension Diet (DASH) diet — have been associated with a roughly 20% reduction in the risk of CRC.[1][2] These diets are high in fiber-rich whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, but low in red or processed meat and refined sugar.[3][4]

    Vegetarian and pescatarian diets are also associated with a lower risk of CRC compared to diets that include red meat.[5] Garlic, cheese, and yogurt may also reduce the risk of developing CRC.[6][7]

    With the exception of wine, drinking more than one alcoholic beverage per day is associated with increased CRC risk.[8][9]

    Mediterranean-style diets and diets high in dairy or nuts are associated with lower mortality and a better prognosis in people with CRC.[10][11][12] Diets high in processed meat, sugar, and soft drinks are associated with a worse prognosis.[10]

    References

    1. ^Garcia-Larsen V, Morton V, Norat T, Moreira A, Potts JF, Reeves T, Bakolis IDietary patterns derived from principal component analysis (PCA) and risk of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur J Clin Nutr.(2019-Mar)
    2. ^Hadith Tangestani, Asma Salari-Moghaddam, Hamid Ghalandari, Hadi EmamatAdherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern reduces the risk of colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysisClin Nutr.(2020 Feb 7)
    3. ^Chang H, Lei L, Zhou Y, Ye F, Zhao GDietary Flavonoids and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies.Nutrients.(2018-Jul-23)
    4. ^Oh H, Kim H, Lee DH, Lee A, Giovannucci EL, Kang SS, Keum NDifferent dietary fibre sources and risks of colorectal cancer and adenoma: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies.Br J Nutr.(2019-Sep-28)
    5. ^Solange Parra-Soto, Danay Ahumada, Fanny Petermann-Rocha, Jirapitcha Boonpoor, Jose Lara Gallegos, Jana Anderson, Linda Sharp, Fiona C Malcomson, Katherine M Livingstone, John C Mathers, Jill P Pell, Frederick K Ho, Carlos Celis-MoralesAssociation of meat, vegetarian, pescatarian and fish-poultry diets with risk of 19 cancer sites and all cancer: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study and meta-analysisBMC Med.(2022 Feb 24)
    6. ^Zhang K, Dai H, Liang W, Zhang L, Deng ZFermented dairy foods intake and risk of cancer.Int J Cancer.(2019-May-01)
    7. ^Zhou X, Qian H, Zhang D, Zeng LGarlic intake and the risk of colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis.Medicine (Baltimore).(2020-Jan)
    8. ^Zhong L, Chen W, Wang T, Zeng Q, Lai L, Lai J, Lin J, Tang SAlcohol and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses Base on Prospective Cohort Studies.Front Public Health.(2022)
    9. ^Xu W, Fan H, Han Z, Liu Y, Wang Y, Ge ZWine consumption and colorectal cancer risk: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Eur J Cancer Prev.(2019-May)
    10. ^Castro-Espin C, Agudo AThe Role of Diet in Prognosis among Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Dietary Patterns and Diet Interventions.Nutrients.(2022-Jan-14)
    11. ^Jin S, Kim Y, Je YDairy Consumption and Risks of Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.(2020-Nov)
    12. ^Fadelu T, Zhang S, Niedzwiecki D, Ye X, Saltz LB, Mayer RJ, Mowat RB, Whittom R, Hantel A, Benson AB, Atienza DM, Messino M, Kindler HL, Venook A, Ogino S, Ng K, Wu K, Willett W, Giovannucci E, Meyerhardt J, Bao Y, Fuchs CSNut Consumption and Survival in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer: Results From CALGB 89803 (Alliance).J Clin Oncol.(2018-Apr-10)