In total, 826 patients with stage III colon cancer were included in the study. Patients reported dietary intake on food frequency questionnaires while enrolled onto a randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trial. After a follow-up of 6.5 years, patients who consumed two or more servings of nuts per week were compared with patients who abstained from nuts. Results showed that those who regularly consumed at least two one-ounce servings of nuts each week showed a 42% improvement in disease-free survival and a 57% improvement in overall survival.
In conclusion, diets with higher nut consumption may be associated with a significantly reduced incidence of cancer recurrence and death in patients with stage III of colon cancer.
The study was supported by the INC-NREF.
Fadelu, T., Zhang, S., Niedzwiecki, D., Ye, X., Saltz, L.B., Mayer, R.J.,… & Fuchs, C.S. (2018). Nut Consumption and Survival in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer: Results From CALGB 89803 (Alliance). Journal of Clinical Oncology. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.75.5413.