Do healthy diets curb the risk of gastrointestinal cancers—esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal—in people whose genes raise their risk?

Scientists tracked 105,463 people in the UK Biobank study for 12 years, using data on 129 genetic variants to estimate a genetic risk of GI cancers.

Among people with a high genetic risk for GI cancers, those with top scores on the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) had a 34 percent lower risk than those with the lowest hPDI scores. And those with top scores on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet had a 23 percent lower risk than those with the lowest DASH scores.

Among people with a low genetic risk for GI cancers, those with top hPDI scores had a 33 percent lower risk than those with the least healthy diet scores, but those with a top DASH diet score had no lower risk of GI cancer.

What to do

Eat a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. This kind of study can’t prove that it will cut the risk of GI cancers, but a DASH diet lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks and strokes.