Diet-microbiome interactions in cancer

Suhaib K. Abdeen; Ignacio Mastandrea; Nina Stinchcombe; Jens Puschhof; Eran Elinav

doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.013

Diet-microbiome interactions in cancer

Suhaib K. Abdeen, Ignacio Mastandrea, Nina Stinchcombe, Jens Puschhof^*, Eran Elinav^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Systems Immunology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Diet impacts cancer in diverse manners. Multiple nutritional effects on tumors are mediated by dietary modulation of commensals, residing in mucosal surfaces and possibly also within the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically understanding such diet-microbiome-host interactions may enable to develop precision nutritional interventions impacting cancer development, dissemination, and treatment responses. However, data-driven nutritional strategies integrating diet-microbiome interactions are infrequently incorporated into cancer prevention and treatment schemes. Herein, we discuss how dietary composition affects cancer-related processes through alterations exerted by specific nutrients and complex foods on the microbiome. We highlight how dietary timing, including time-restricted feeding, impacts microbial function in modulating cancer and its therapy. We review existing and experimental nutritional approaches aimed at enhancing microbiome-mediated cancer treatment responsiveness while minimizing adverse effects, and address challenges and prospects in integrating diet-microbiome interactions into precision oncology. Collectively, mechanistically understanding diet-microbiome-host interactomes may enable to achieve a personalized and microbiome-informed optimization of nutritional cancer interventions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	680-707
Number of pages	28
Journal	Cancer Cell
Volume	43
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.013
Publication status	Published - 14 Apr 2025

Funding

We thank members of the Microbiome & Cancer Division, DKFZ, and ElinavLab, Weizmann Institute of Science, for insightful discussions, edits, and critiques, and Tali Wiesel, Weizmann Institute of Science, for graphical assistance. S.K.A. is supported by the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology Zvi Yanai Fellowship and by an Israel Council of Higher Education (VATAT) Non-Faculty Researchers scholarship. I.M. is supported by an Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellowship. N.S. and J.P. are supported by the Helmholtz Foundation and the DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim, Germany. J.P. and E.E. are supported by the European Research Council THRIVE consortium of the HORIZON-MISS-2023-CANCER program. E.E. is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF24SA0092455; NNF Microbiome Health Initiative- from association to causality and novel management of cardiometabolic disease). E.E. is the incumbent of the Sir Marc and Lady Tania Feldmann Professorial Chair, a Kimmel researcher, a CIFAR fellow, a member of the EU-funded Nutriome consortium, and an international scholar, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Oncology
Cancer Research

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10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.013

Cite this

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title = "Diet-microbiome interactions in cancer",

abstract = "Diet impacts cancer in diverse manners. Multiple nutritional effects on tumors are mediated by dietary modulation of commensals, residing in mucosal surfaces and possibly also within the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically understanding such diet-microbiome-host interactions may enable to develop precision nutritional interventions impacting cancer development, dissemination, and treatment responses. However, data-driven nutritional strategies integrating diet-microbiome interactions are infrequently incorporated into cancer prevention and treatment schemes. Herein, we discuss how dietary composition affects cancer-related processes through alterations exerted by specific nutrients and complex foods on the microbiome. We highlight how dietary timing, including time-restricted feeding, impacts microbial function in modulating cancer and its therapy. We review existing and experimental nutritional approaches aimed at enhancing microbiome-mediated cancer treatment responsiveness while minimizing adverse effects, and address challenges and prospects in integrating diet-microbiome interactions into precision oncology. Collectively, mechanistically understanding diet-microbiome-host interactomes may enable to achieve a personalized and microbiome-informed optimization of nutritional cancer interventions.",

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AU - Abdeen, Suhaib K.

AU - Mastandrea, Ignacio

AU - Stinchcombe, Nina

AU - Puschhof, Jens

AU - Elinav, Eran

PY - 2025/4/14

Y1 - 2025/4/14

N2 - Diet impacts cancer in diverse manners. Multiple nutritional effects on tumors are mediated by dietary modulation of commensals, residing in mucosal surfaces and possibly also within the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically understanding such diet-microbiome-host interactions may enable to develop precision nutritional interventions impacting cancer development, dissemination, and treatment responses. However, data-driven nutritional strategies integrating diet-microbiome interactions are infrequently incorporated into cancer prevention and treatment schemes. Herein, we discuss how dietary composition affects cancer-related processes through alterations exerted by specific nutrients and complex foods on the microbiome. We highlight how dietary timing, including time-restricted feeding, impacts microbial function in modulating cancer and its therapy. We review existing and experimental nutritional approaches aimed at enhancing microbiome-mediated cancer treatment responsiveness while minimizing adverse effects, and address challenges and prospects in integrating diet-microbiome interactions into precision oncology. Collectively, mechanistically understanding diet-microbiome-host interactomes may enable to achieve a personalized and microbiome-informed optimization of nutritional cancer interventions.

AB - Diet impacts cancer in diverse manners. Multiple nutritional effects on tumors are mediated by dietary modulation of commensals, residing in mucosal surfaces and possibly also within the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically understanding such diet-microbiome-host interactions may enable to develop precision nutritional interventions impacting cancer development, dissemination, and treatment responses. However, data-driven nutritional strategies integrating diet-microbiome interactions are infrequently incorporated into cancer prevention and treatment schemes. Herein, we discuss how dietary composition affects cancer-related processes through alterations exerted by specific nutrients and complex foods on the microbiome. We highlight how dietary timing, including time-restricted feeding, impacts microbial function in modulating cancer and its therapy. We review existing and experimental nutritional approaches aimed at enhancing microbiome-mediated cancer treatment responsiveness while minimizing adverse effects, and address challenges and prospects in integrating diet-microbiome interactions into precision oncology. Collectively, mechanistically understanding diet-microbiome-host interactomes may enable to achieve a personalized and microbiome-informed optimization of nutritional cancer interventions.

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DO - 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.013

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:105002166286

SN - 1535-6108

VL - 43

SP - 680

EP - 707

JO - Cancer Cell

JF - Cancer Cell

IS - 4

ER -

Diet-microbiome interactions in cancer

Abstract

Funding

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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