Science-Driven Nutritional Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer

In population studies, dietary patterns clearly infl uence the development, progres-sion, and therapeutic response of cancers. Nonetheless, interventional dietary trials have had relatively little impact on the prevention and treatment of malignant disease. Stand-ardization of nutritional interventions combined with high-level mode-of-action studies holds the promise of identifying specifi c entities and pathways endowed with antineoplastic properties. Here, we critically review the effects of caloric restriction and more specifi c interventions on macro-and micronutrients in preclinical models as well as in clinical studies. We place special emphasis on the prospect of using defi ned nutrition-relevant molecules to enhance the effi cacy of established anti-cancer treatments.Signifi cance: The avoidance of intrinsically hypercaloric and toxic diets contributes to the prevention and cure of cancer. In addition, specifi c diet-induced molecules such as ketone bodies and micronu-trients, including specifi c vitamins, have drug-like effects that are clearly demonstrable in preclinical models, mostly in the context of immunotherapies. Multiple trials are underway to determine the clini-cal utility of such molecules.

Automated summary

In population studies, dietary patterns have an impact on cancer development, progression, and therapeutic response. However, interventional dietary trials have had limited effect on cancer prevention and treatment. Standardization of nutritional interventions combined with high-level mode-of-action studies has the potential to identify specific entities and pathways with anti-cancer properties.