Abstract Background Cancer is a complex disease triggered by a combination of genetic mutations, metabolic reprogramming, epigenetic modifications, and environmental factors, and is one of the leading health burdens worldwide. Dietary phytochemical are effective in reducing the incidence of cancer by regulating epigenetic and metabolic pathways and possess great potential in cancer prevention and treatment. Objectives This review aims to summarize the relevant metabolic and epigenetic changes in cancer, recent research progress in the mechanism study of dietary phytochemicals by regulating key pathways and provides new insights for further research. Methods We searched the relevant literature by searching through common databases, such as PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and Web of Science, and summarized the anticancer effects of potential dietary phytochemicals regulating epigenetic and metabolic pathways in common cancers, such as colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer. Results Natural phytochemicals not only regulate key pathways, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic reprogramming, but also demonstrate multi-targeted intervention in tumor therapy by inducing apoptosis, inhibiting cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Additionally, the potential of dietary phytochemicals to reverse metabolic and epigenetic changes makes them promising as adjunctive or alternative therapies. Conclusion Phytochemicals exhibit significant effects in cancer prevention and treatment by targeting metabolic and epigenetic regulatory networks. Future research should further explore their mechanisms, clinical translational value, and synergistic effects with traditional therapies to provide theoretical foundations and practical guidance for developing new cancer intervention strategies.
Pan et al. (2025) studied this question.