The Association of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet with the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Abstract

Background: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been associated with reduced hypertension and risk of cardiovascular diseases, nevertheless DASH diet is rich in foods that are recommended to be inversely associated with cancer risk. The objective of the present study was to conduct the first meta-analysis of studies investigating the associations between DASH diet and risk of colorectal cancer.

Methods: Relevant studies were identified in PubMed and Scopus (up to April 2019). Meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the summary relative risk (RR) estimates based on the highest versus the lowest category of DASH scores.

Results: Six articles (four prospective cohorts and two case–controls) were eligible. The pooled adjusted RR of Colorectal cancer for the highest DASH score versus the lowest category was 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75–0.88).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that adherence to the DASH diet was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. These results support the need to promote healthy diet with higher intake of whole grain, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products and lower intake of salt, sweets and saturated fat to reduce colorectal cancer risk.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant funding.