@misc{10481/111598,
year = {2026},
month = {2},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111598},
abstract = {Background/Objectives: Digestive cancers are among the leading causes of death world
wide. Although their etiology is not fully understood, diet is an important modifiable
risk factor. This scoping review aimed to explore the existing evidence on the association
between adherence to various plant‑based dietary (PBD) patterns and the risk of major di
gestive cancers. Methods: The scoping review followed the Arksey and O’Malley frame
work and Joanna Briggs Institute recommendations, and results were reported according
to PRISMA‑ScR guidelines. A systematic search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE,
Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science between January 2020 and May 2025. Original ob
servational studies and clinical trials in English or Spanish examining the association be
tween PBD patterns and digestive cancers were included. Results: A total of 24 studies
were identified, including 16 prospective cohort studies and 8 hospital‑based case–control
studies, conducted mainly in Europe (n = 10), North America (n = 8), and Asia (n = 6).
Most studies used food frequency questionnaires and predefined PBD indices, particu
larly the plant‑based diet index (PDI), healthful (hPDI), and unhealthful (uPDI) (n = 13),
while others assessed pro‑vegetarian (n = 2) or EAT‑Lancet dietary patterns (n = 3). Most
studies reported protective associations with all digestive cancer localizations examined,
particularly in relation to healthful PBD patterns: colorectal (13/15), pancreatic (6/7), liver
(4/4), esophageal (4/5), stomach (3/4) and oropharyngeal (2/2) cancers. On the contrary,
unhealthful PBD patterns were linked to a higher risk. Conclusions: Overall, the find
ings of this review highlight that the quality of PBD patterns is crucial for digestive cancer
risk. PBD patterns emphasizing whole and minimally processed plant foods were pro
tective, while those characterized by refined or ultra‑processed plant products were dele
terious. A future standardization of PBD indices would help to improve comparability
among studies.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Review},
keywords = {Dietary patterns},
keywords = {gastrointestinal cancer},
title = {Adherence to Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Digestive Cancers: A Scoping Review},
doi = {10.3390/nu18050756},
author = {Oncina Cánovas, Alejandro and Cabañas Alite, Luis and Comino, Iris and Mustieles Miralles, Vicente},
}