Dried fruits, nuts, and cancer risk and survival: a review of the evidence and future research directions
Author(s)
Bolling, Bradley
Aune, Dagfinn
Noh, Hwayoung
Petersen, Kristina S
Freisling, Heinz
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Dried fruits and nuts contain high amounts of nutrients and phytochemicals—all of which may have anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. This narrative review summarizes the evidence for dried fruits and nuts and cancer incidence, mortality, and survival and their potential anticancer properties. The evidence for dried fruits in cancer outcomes is limited, but existing studies have suggested an inverse relationship between total dried fruit consumption and cancer risk. A higher consumption of nuts has been associated with a reduced risk of several site-specific cancers in prospective cohort studies, including cancers of the colon, lung, and pancreas, with relative risks per 5 g/day increment equal to 0.75 (95% CI 0.60, 0.94), 0.97 (95% CI 0.95, 0.98), and 0.94 (95% CI 0.89, 0.99), respectively. A daily intake of total nuts of 28 g/day has also been associated with a 21% reduction in the rate of cancer mortality. There is also some evidence that frequent nut consumption is associated with improved survival outcomes among patients with colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer; however, further studies are needed. Future research directions include the investigation of additional cancer types, including rare types of cancer. For cancer prognosis, additional studies with pre- and postdiagnosis dietary assessment are warranted.
Date Issued
2023-03-16
Date Acceptance
2023-03-11
Citation
Nutrients, 2023, 15 (6), pp.1-18
ISSN
2072-6643
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
18
Journal / Book Title
Nutrients
Volume
15
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/6/1443
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1443
Date Publish Online
2023-03-16