Plant-based diet in patients with colorectal cancer before and after diagnosis

Colorectal cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancer worlwide and nutrition is one key factor, playing causal and protective role in the development of this cancer. The consumption of saturated fatty acids and processed red meat is an important risk factor because of their inflammatory potential. On the other hand diet can be seen also as a protective and therapeutic factor; diet in particular has been proven to be very fundamental also in the modulation of gut microbiota to reduce the negative outcomes that can occur post surgery in colorectal cancer patients. Plant-based diets have protective effects on colorectal cancer and this has been proven in cohort and case-control studies, one of the main reason of this is the presence of fiber. Fiber protects against colorectal carcinogenesis, strenghtening the gut barrier function and reducing inflammation and this has a big impact both on the prevention and also on the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.