THE ROLE OF DIETARY PATTERNS AND METABOLIC FACTORS IN THE PREVENTION OF COLORECTAL CANCER – A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF RECENT META-ANALYSES

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health concern, with a significant proportion of cases linked to modifiable lifestyle factors. The aim of this review was to consolidate the latest evidence from meta-analyses and systematic reviews to assess the influence of dietary patterns and metabolic factors influence CRC prevention. Methodology: A narrative literature review was conducted based on a PubMed search, encompassing 15 high-quality evidence studies published in the last year. The focus was on the quantitative assessment of risk associated with healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns (e.g., DASH, Mediterranean Diet, ultra-processed food), the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), and key metabolic factors (obesity, glycemia). Key Findings: Healthy, plant-based dietary patterns (DASH, Mediterranean, Planetary Health Diet) have been found to offer consistent and significant protection against CRC (risk reduction of 9-19%) ((Abbasi et al., 2025; (Ungvari, Fekete, Fekete, et al., 2025); (Wang et al., 2025)). This effect is strongly linked to a low Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), whereas a high DII increases CRC risk by up to 61% ((Wu et al., 2025)). Pro-inflammatory diets, characterized by high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and red/processed meat (18–30% risk increase depending on type) ((Ungvari, Fekete, Varga, et al., 2025); (Woon et al., 2025)), are key risk drivers. Furthermore, metabolic dysregulation, including hyperglycemia (CRC risk increases in the pre-diabetic state) (Teixeira et al., 2025) and obesity, acts as a powerful intermediary factor ((Fu et al., 2025); (Tin et al., 2025)). Conclusion: Colorectal cancer prevention requires a strategy based on promoting healthy dietary patterns (high in fiber, plants, low in UPF and processed meat) to simultaneously reduce inflammation and optimize metabolic factors. The evidence for this association is classified as high certainty (Yin et al., 2024).