Cancer Prevention Effects of Foods, Food Groups, Nutrients, and Their Underlying Mechanisms

• Published in: ACS food science & technology 2022-03, Vol.2 (3), p.437-454
• Main Authors: Xia, Binbin, Yang, Wenjie, Liang, Huazheng, Liu, Sonia, Wang, Devin, Huang, Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2692-1944; 2692-1944
• DOI: 10.1021/acsfoodscitech.1c00293

Cancer, the second leading cause of death around the world, imposes a heavy socioeconomic burden to both developing and developed countries. Among the identified carcinogenic risk factors, dietary intake accounts for over 35% of prostate, colorectal, pancreatic, gall bladder, breast, endometrial, and gastric cancers, which might be prevented by adjusting food intake alone. Therefore, preventing cancer through modifying food intake is a cost-effective measure with few side effects. For some cancer patients, this might relieve their pain as well. Previous studies have focused on the preventative effect of multiple dietary combinations for certain types of cancer, which laid the foundation for health organizations to compile dietary guidelines to prevent cancers. Emerging evidence also suggests that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are more effective in cancer prevention than individual micronutrients. However, the underlying mechanisms and possible interactions with chemotherapies have not been comprehensively investigated. This mini-review summarizes recent preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological evidence of the promotive or preventative effect of foods, food groups, and nutrients on carcinogenesis, as well as their possible molecular mechanisms, including high calorie diets and red meats, bioactive proteins in milk, fish, and soy, macro-phyto-chemicals (anthocyanins, catechin, procyanidins, gallic acids, ellagic acid, lignans, curcumins, resveratrol, β-carotene, lycopene, sulforaphane, indole-3-carbinol, and proanthocyanidin), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), and fatty acids. Their potential underlying chemopreventive mechanisms will also be discussed. This might serve as a reference for professionals who research on cancer or manage cancer patients and the general public who would like to prevent cancer through changing their diets.