Association of a Diet High in Micronutrients and Fiber With a Lower Risk of Colorectal Cancer Classified by Fusobacterium Nucleatum in Tumor Tissue Subtypes

An aggressive type of colorectal cancer, in the tissue where a particular bacterium called Fusobacterium nucleatum is found, occurs less frequently in persons who regularly eat enough fruit and vegetables as well as dietary fiber. On the other hand, those who live on a western diet and frequently eat red and processed meat promote the development of the harmful bacterium and are therefore more frequently affected by the type of colorectal cancer which carries genetic traces of the Fusobacterium nucleatum. Unaffected by nutrition are tumors that have remained unaffected by this bacterium.

US scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston declare this research result as a first scientifically substantiated single evidence that the composition of the intestinal flora can be involved in cancer development. The intestinal flora contains an ecosystem of micro-organisms, which reacts sensitively to an imbalance, particularly a lack of (micro-)nutrients. Approximately 400 different bacteria species belong to the microorganisms, which preferentially develop their helpful or damaging effect in the colon.

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R.S. Metha et al. Association of Dietary Patterns With Risk of Colorectal Cancer Subtypes Classified by Fusobacterium Nucleatum in Tumor Tissue. JAMA Oncol. Published online January 26, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.6374. Available online via: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2598745