Role of the intestinal microbiota and diet in the onset and progression of colorectal and breast cancers and the interconnection between both types of tumours

Sergio Ruiz-Saavedra; Aida Zapico; Sonia González; Nuria Salazar; Clara G de Los Reyes-Gavilán

doi:10.20517/mrr.2023.36

Role of the intestinal microbiota and diet in the onset and progression of colorectal and breast cancers and the interconnection between both types of tumours

Microbiome Res Rep. 2023 Nov 27;3(1):6. doi: 10.20517/mrr.2023.36. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Sergio Ruiz-Saavedra^{1

2}, Aida Zapico^{2

3}, Sonia González^{2

3}, Nuria Salazar^{1

2}, Clara G de Los Reyes-Gavilán^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Villaviciosa 33300, Spain.
² Diet, Microbiota and Health Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo 33011, Spain.
³ Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo 33006, Spain.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the leading causes of mortality in adults of both sexes worldwide, while breast cancer (BC) is among the leading causes of death in women. In addition to age, gender, and genetic predisposition, environmental and lifestyle factors exert a strong influence. Global diet, including alcohol consumption, is one of the most important modifiable factors affecting the risk of CRC and BC. Western dietary patterns promoting high intakes of xenobiotics from food processing and ethanol have been associated with increased cancer risk, whereas the Mediterranean diet, generally leading to a higher intake of polyphenols and fibre, has been associated with a protective effect. Gut dysbiosis is a common feature in CRC, where the usual microbiota is progressively replaced by opportunistic pathogens and the gut metabolome is altered. The relationship between microbiota and BC has been less studied. The estrobolome is the collection of genes from intestinal bacteria that can metabolize oestrogens. In a dysbiosis condition, microbial deconjugating enzymes can reactivate conjugated-deactivated oestrogens, increasing the risk of BC. In contrast, intestinal microorganisms can increase the biological activity and bioavailability of dietary phytochemicals through diverse microbial metabolic transformations, potentiating their anticancer activity. Members of the intestinal microbiota can increase the toxicity of xenobiotics through metabolic transformations. However, most of the microorganisms involved in diet-microbiota interactions remain poorly characterized. Here, we provide an overview of the associations between microbiota and diet in BC and CRC, considering the diverse types and heterogeneity of these cancers and their relationship between them and with gut microbiota.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; breast cancer; colorectal cancer; diet; dietary fibre; polyphenol.

Publication types

Review