Fatty Acid Heterogeneity in Colorectal Cancer: From Food Matrices to Targeted Interventions

Abstract

Simple Summary Fatty acids are essential components of the diet and participate in cell structure, metabolism, inflammation, and signaling. However, studies examining their relationship with colorectal cancer have produced heterogeneous results because they assess different aspects of fatty acid exposure, including dietary intake, blood biomarkers, tumor tissue, genetic variation, and nutritional interventions. This review integrates complementary forms of human evidence to clarify what each approach can and cannot demonstrate. Current evidence does not support classifying broad groups of fatty acids as uniformly harmful or protective. Although selected n-3 fatty acids show potentially favorable associations in some settings, available data remain insufficient to recommend routine supplementation, a specific dose, or a target n-6 to n-3 ratio for colorectal cancer prevention or treatment. By distinguishing dietary exposure from circulating, tissue, genetic, and intervention evidence, this review provides a clearer framework for interpretation, identifies knowledge gaps, and may guide the design of future relevant studies.