A Mini-Review of the Relationship between Diet and Cancer Risk

Background: Despite significant advances in the basic research and clinical practice, treatments such as surgery and chemoradiotherapy have side effects. And the research on minimum food uptake to supplement curative roles in among critical chronic cancer cases using food and cancers are important, and has grown exponentially over the decades. Diet plays a major role in preventing many types of cancer and also in the supporting the intervention, thus it is very good to have a chapter on nutrition in cancer. Objective: The purpose of this minireview is to summarize the relationship between various food and cancers. Methods: The search strategy uses the keywords “cancer AND food consumption AND diet” in Title/Abstract part from 2014 to 2025 years in Pubmed papers written in English. Results: This minireview summarized the latest findings on the relationship between various food and cancers including cancer incidence / mortality / treatment. The foods such as fermented foods benefit cancers, while ultra-processed foods worsen cancers. The cancers include breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and obesity-related cancer so on. The mechanism of diet influencing gut microbiota related to cancer is that bioactive metabolites such as lactic acid from fermented foods may impact immune, metabolic status and disease severity. Conclusion: Food can both prevent and cause cancer, and may either worsen or mitigate its progression. This minireview should help develop dietary strategies for public health regarding cancers.