THE ROLE OF DIETARY PATTERNS AND METABOLIC FACTORS IN THE PREVENTION OF COLORECTAL CANCER – A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF RECENT META-ANALYSES
Abstract
Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health concern, with a significant proportion of cases linked to modifiable lifestyle factors. The aim of this review was to consolidate the latest evidence from meta-analyses and systematic reviews to assess the influence of dietary patterns and metabolic factors influence CRC prevention.
Methodology: A narrative literature review was conducted based on a PubMed search, encompassing 15 high-quality evidence studies published in the last year. The focus was on the quantitative assessment of risk associated with healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns (e.g., DASH, Mediterranean Diet, ultra-processed food), the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), and key metabolic factors (obesity, glycemia).
Key Findings: Healthy, plant-based dietary patterns (DASH, Mediterranean, Planetary Health Diet) have been found to offer consistent and significant protection against CRC (risk reduction of 9-19%) ((Abbasi et al., 2025; (Ungvari, Fekete, Fekete, et al., 2025); (Wang et al., 2025)). This effect is strongly linked to a low Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), whereas a high DII increases CRC risk by up to 61% ((Wu et al., 2025)). Pro-inflammatory diets, characterized by high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and red/processed meat (18–30% risk increase depending on type) ((Ungvari, Fekete, Varga, et al., 2025); (Woon et al., 2025)), are key risk drivers. Furthermore, metabolic dysregulation, including hyperglycemia (CRC risk increases in the pre-diabetic state) (Teixeira et al., 2025) and obesity, acts as a powerful intermediary factor ((Fu et al., 2025); (Tin et al., 2025)).
Conclusion: Colorectal cancer prevention requires a strategy based on promoting healthy dietary patterns (high in fiber, plants, low in UPF and processed meat) to simultaneously reduce inflammation and optimize metabolic factors. The evidence for this association is classified as high certainty (Yin et al., 2024).
References
Abbasi, M. M., Babaahmadi, P., Nozari, F., Khosravi, F., Golkar, Z., Tavasoli, Z., Alizadeh, V., Nouriani, M., Jafari, M., Shabani, N., Nezhad, H. H., Soltaninejad, H., & Rahmanian, M. (2025). Association between adhering to a dietary approach to stop hypertension and risk of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Gastroenterology, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-025-03859-2
Barbaresko, J., Bröder, J., Conrad, J., Szczerba, E., Lang, A., & Schlesinger, S. (2024). Ultra-processed food consumption and human health: an umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2024.2317877
Fernández-Fígares Jiménez, M. del C., & Storz, M. A. (2025). Cancer Risk and Mortality Following Substitution of Animal Foods with Plant Foods: A Systematic Review. Current Nutrition Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-025-00688-3
Fu, J., Tan, L.-J., Lou, S., Shin, W.-K., Kang, D., & Shin, S. (2025). Association between adherence to cancer prevention guidelines and cancer risk: a comprehensive systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. EClinicalMedicine, 89, 103569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103569
Gaesser, G. A., Angadi, S. S., Paterson, C., & Miller Jones, J. (2024). Bread consumption and cancer risk: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Current Developments in Nutrition, 104501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104501
Okeke, C. C., Ojo, A., Ebiliekwe, O. E., Idion, K. N., Ekeocha, I. R., Okorienta, S., Onyeogulu, A. O., Egemonye, O., Okafor, G. S., Charles, O. R., Okoye, C. C., Ugo-Ihanetu, E. A., Ukoha, C., Nduji, A., Egbunike, J. O., & Alli, O. O. (2025). Colorectal Cancer Risk and Protective Factors Among People of African Descent: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.88791
Teixeira, P. P., Xu, Y. Y., Aleksandr Aravkin, Zheng, P., Force, L. M., Kocarnik, J., McLaughlin, S., Vos, T., Lenox, H., Hay, S., Duncan, B. B., Verônica Colpani, Murray, C., Gerchman, F., & Ong, K. L. (2025). A burden of proof study of the effects of exposure to high fasting plasma glucose on the risk of seven types of cancer. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 28859–28859. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13045-9
Tin, J., Lee, H., Trejo, A. G., & Tin, K. (2025). Ultra-processed food, obesity, and colon cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.4251/wjgo.v17.i2.101211
Ungvari, Z., Fekete, M., János Tibor Fekete, Grosso, G., Ungvari, A., & Balázs Győrffy. (2024). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and its protective effects against colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of 26 studies with 2,217,404 participants. GeroScience. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01296-9
Ungvari, Z., Fekete, M., Varga, P., Lehoczki, A., Gyöngyi Munkácsy, Fekete, J. T., Bianchini, G., Ocana, A., Buda, A., Ungvari, A., & Balázs Győrffy. (2025). Association between red and processed meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk: a comprehensive meta-analysis of prospective studies. GeroScience. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01646-1
Wang, Y., Pan, D., Zhang, C., Xu, D., Lu, Y., Yin, S., Wang, P., Xia, J., Yu, J., Dong, L., & Sun, G. (2025). Planetary Health Diet and risk of mortality and chronic diseases: Results from US NHANES, UK Biobank, and a meta-analysis. Science Advances, 11(36). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq5147
Woon, J. Y., Gihani Vidanapathirana, Lam, A. K., & Gopalan, V. (2025). Systematic Analysis of the Differential Effects of Red Meat on Colorectal Cancer Risks: A Meta-Analytic Approach. Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer, 56(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-025-01247-3
Wu, Y.-J., Wang, W.-H., Wang, Y.-P., & Xu, H. (2025). Dietary inflammatory index and the risk of colorectal adenomas and cancer: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Nutrition Journal, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-025-01202-9
Xie, L., Li, Y., Song, Z., Huang, Y., & Yao, Q. (2025). Plant-based diet and colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 29(12), 102232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gassur.2025.102232
Yin, J.-L., Li, Y.-Z., Wang, R., Song, X.-J., Zhao, L.-G., Wang, D.-D., Liu, J.-C., Liu, P.-C., Wang, J.-Y., Shi, Y.-C., Liu, F.-H., Chen, X., Sun, M.-H., Men, Y.-X., Xu, J., Ma, S., Qin, Y., Gao, S., Zhao, Y.-H., & Gao, X. (2024). Dietary patterns and risk of multiple cancers: umbrella review of meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.11.020
Copyright (c) 2025 Patrycja Herod, Maja Elertowicz, Kateryna Shtohryn, Mikołaj Moskwa, Magdalena Zięba, Szymon Rudawski, Magdalena Morytko, Aleksandra Wójciak
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.
