Diet Changes and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank

Modifying dietary behaviors into healthier habits may attenuate the risk of colorectal cancer. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary changes and the risk of colorectal cancer.

Following dietary recommendations for red and processed meat, fruit and vegetables, and alcohol consumption, we classified 50,640 participants into poor and good adherence groups in the UK Biobank. Changes in dietary habits were defined as stable poor, poor to good, good to poor, and stable to good adherences. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the association between dietary changes and colorectal cancer risk.

Women were more likely to follow dietary recommendations than men. After a median of 3.3 years from the latest follow-up, 8,328 (16.4%) participants followed an improved dietary habit and 5,808 (11.5%) participants had a worsened diet. Compared with men who stably consumed fruit and vegetables <5 servings/day, those who increased their consumption to ≥5 servings/day were related to colorectal cancer risk reduction [HR: 0.24 (0.09-0.63)]. However, the beneficial associations of increased fruit and vegetable consumption were not statistically significant in women [HR: 0.41 (0.11-1.56)].

Our findings support the evidence that increasing fruit and vegetable intake could serve as a beneficial strategy to mitigate colorectal cancer risk in men.

Participants from the UK Biobank significantly changed their adherence to dietary recommendations during the follow-up. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk among men.