Eating nuts may reduce colon cancer recurrence risk

We frequently eat nuts in daily life. According to a noteworthy study at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, ASCO 2017, consuming nuts during and after treatment lowers the risk of colon cancer recurrence.

Healthy eating, not smoking and regular exercise are known to reduce both the likelihood of developing cancer and the risk of its recurrence. Research in patients receiving protective chemotherapy after surgery (adjuvant treatment) for stage 3 colon cancer observed that a healthy lifestyle could reduce cancer-related death risk. Being at a normal weight, exercising regularly, eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and grains, and consuming little processed or red meat reduced colorectal cancer death risk by %42.

Note: Stage 3 colorectal cancer means the tumor has extended outside the colon wall and spread to nearby lymph nodes but not distant organs. Standard treatment at this stage is surgical removal of the tumor first, followed by chemotherapy to reduce recurrence risk (adjuvant treatment).

Another study in the same individuals observed that consuming nuts in particular (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, etc.) might also reduce cancer recurrence risk, described as relapse or recurrence. According to this study, individuals consuming 2 or more servings of nuts weekly have up to a %40 lower recurrence risk. This benefit was observed only with tree nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and cashews), but not, for example, peanuts.

Research has shown that obesity, type 2 diabetes, inactivity, a Western diet and excess energy intake increase colon cancer recurrence and related death risk. In contrast, observational studies show that increased nut consumption lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Although the reason nuts may protect against colon cancer recurrence is unclear, this may explain it.

We emphasize again that patients in both studies received adjuvant treatment. A healthy lifestyle and eating nuts never replace treatment alone, but appear effective when maintained alongside treatment. Moreover, this research is observational only and does not prove that healthy eating and nut consumption definitively reduce recurrence probability.

In conclusion, when maintained alongside treatment, a healthy lifestyle and eating nuts are likely to reduce cancer recurrence probability. However, this study alone is insufficient and more detailed research is needed in the future.