Adherence to Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Digestive Cancers: A Scoping Review - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #dietary patterns
- #digestive cancers
- #plant-based diet
- Digestive cancers are a leading cause of death worldwide, with diet being a modifiable risk factor.
- This scoping review explores the association between plant-based dietary (PBD) patterns and digestive cancer risk.
- 24 studies were analyzed, including 16 prospective cohort studies and 8 case-control studies, primarily from Europe, North America, and Asia.
- Most studies used food frequency questionnaires and predefined PBD indices like PDI, hPDI, and uPDI.
- Healthful PBD patterns showed protective associations against colorectal, pancreatic, liver, esophageal, stomach, and oropharyngeal cancers.
- Unhealthful PBD patterns, characterized by refined or ultra-processed plant foods, were linked to higher cancer risk.
- The review emphasizes the importance of PBD pattern quality, advocating for whole and minimally processed plant foods.
- Future standardization of PBD indices is recommended to improve study comparability.