Dietary fiber consumption and outcomes of different cancers: an umbrella review

  • Xingyu He Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University
  • Jiayi Hou Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
  • Lei Liu Basic Medical School, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
  • Xin Chen Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
  • Lijie Zhang Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
  • Caojia Pang Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
  • Yu Tong Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
  • Hongling Li Zunyi Medical University, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
  • Feng Chen Basic Medical School, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
  • Rong Peng Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
  • Zheng Shi Clinical Medical College & Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan, China
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v69.11034
Keywords: Dietary Fiber, Cancer Prevention, Systematic Reviews as Topic, Risk Reduction Behavior, Observational Studies

Abstract

Background: The relationship between dietary fiber intake and cancer outcomes, including incidence, recurrence, and mortality, is crucial for understanding cancer prevention strategies.

Methods: An umbrella review was conducted, analyzing existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This included data from 26 meta-analyses based on 2,107 unique articles, covering 52 observational study outcomes. The quality of the studies was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 tool.

Results: High fiber intake significantly lowers the risk of cancers affecting the digestive, reproductive, and urinary systems, including esophageal adenoma, squamous cell carcinoma, gastric, pancreatic, colon, rectal, colorectal adenoma, breast, ovarian, endometrial, prostate, renal cell, and bladder cancers. Findings estimated that the risk of Colon cancer between total dietary fiber (TDF) was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67–0.82), and the risk of Colorectal cancer between TDF was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82–0.94). TDF was also found to be protective against Barrett’s esophagus and esophagus cancer, esophageal adenomas, and esophagus squamous cell carcinoma, with effect sizes of 0.52 (95% CI: 0.43–0.64), 0.50 (95% CI: 0.37–0.67), and 0.53 (95% CI: 0.31–0.90), respectively. Conversely, increased intake of cereal fiber was associated with a higher incidence of renal cell carcinoma and endometrial cancer. Dose–response analyses revealed that increments of 2.5, 5, or 10 g per day in dietary fiber could lead to different levels of risk reduction for these cancers. Meta-regression suggested an optimal fiber intake range of 7–36 g per day for colon cancer prevention. However, the overall study quality was predominantly rated as ‘very low’.

Conclusions: Higher dietary fiber intake is linked to reduced cancer risk and improved outcomes. These findings highlight dietary fiber’s importance in cancer prevention and care.

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Published
2025-01-03
How to Cite
He X., Hou J., Liu L., Chen X., Zhang L., Pang C., Tong Y., Li H., Chen F., Peng R., & Shi Z. (2025). Dietary fiber consumption and outcomes of different cancers: an umbrella review. Food & Nutrition Research, 69. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v69.11034
Issue
Vol 69 (2025)
Section
Original Articles
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