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Two key takeaways:
- Colorectal cancer risk is influenced by overall dietary patterns—not single foods—with less inflammatory, lower–insulin-driving diets linked to lower risk.
- Small, sustainable shifts toward fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy, coffee, and tea—while limiting processed meats and sugary drinks—may meaningfully reduce risk over time.
Impact:
Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute contributed to this large international effort, advancing evidence that practical, sustainable dietary patterns can help lower colorectal cancer risk.
A large, long-term study following nearly one million adults across the United States and Europe has found that dietary patterns associated with lower inflammation and steadier insulin levels are linked to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. The findings add to growing evidence that what people eat, and how they eat, can meaningfully influence colon and rectal cancer risk.
Researchers analyzed dietary data from men and women followed for an average of 15 years, examining how overall eating patterns related to inflammation and insulin response—a hormone that regulates blood sugar—were associated with new colorectal cancer diagnoses. People whose diets were less inflammatory and less likely to cause spikes in insulin had a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those whose diets were more pro-inflammatory or strongly insulin-driving.
“These results reinforce that colorectal cancer risk isn’t shaped by one food or nutrient alone, but by the overall pattern of what people eat day after day,” says Mary Playdon, PhD, a researcher in Cancer Control and Population Sciences at Huntsman Cancer Institute and associate professor in the Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology at the University of Utah. “What’s encouraging is that we saw signs that even relatively small shifts toward healthier eating patterns were associated with meaningful reductions in colorectal cancer risk over time."
“What’s encouraging is that we saw signs that even relatively small shifts toward healthier eating patterns were associated with meaningful reductions in colorectal cancer risk over time.”
Importantly, the protective effect observed in the study was not tied to a single “superfood.” Instead, dietary patterns linked to lower cancer risk reflected specific combinations and proportions of foods and beverages consumed together. These patterns included higher intakes of whole fruits and vegetables—particularly green leafy and orange or yellow vegetables—along with beans and other legumes, dairy products, and beverages such as coffee and tea. They also included lower consumption of processed foods, including red and processed meats and sugary drinks.
Colorectal cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, and rates among younger adults have been rising in recent years. While screening remains critical for early detection and improved outcomes, the study highlights diet as an important, modifiable factor that may help reduce risk across the lifespan.
By focusing on overall eating patterns rather than strict rules or individual foods, the findings offer a practical and hopeful message: gradual, sustainable changes toward less inflammatory diets may play a meaningful role in lowering colorectal cancer risk over time.