The prevalence of obesity has reached pandemic levels worldwide, leading to a lower quality of life and higher health costs. Obesity is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, although obesity is one of the major preventable causes of cancer. Lifestyle factors, such as dietary quality and patterns, are also closely related to the onset and development of obesity and cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the complex association between diet, obesity, and cancer remain unclear. In the past few decades, microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, have been demonstrated to play critical roles in biological processes such as cell differentiation, proliferation, and metabolism, highlighting their importance in disease development and suppression and as therapeutic targets. miRNA expression levels can be modulated by diet and are involved in cancer and obesity-related diseases. Circulating miRNAs can also mediate cell-to-cell communications. These multiple aspects of miRNAs present challenges in understanding and integrating their mechanism of action. Here, we introduce a general consideration of the associations between diet, obesity, and cancer and review the current knowledge of the molecular functions of miRNA in each context. A comprehensive understanding of the interplay between diet, obesity, and cancer could be valuable for the development of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies in future.

肥胖症的流行已达到全球范围内的流行病水平，导致生活质量下降和健康成本上升。肥胖是包括癌症在内的非传染性疾病的主要危险因素，尽管肥胖是癌症的主要可预防原因之一。生活方式因素，如饮食质量和模式，也与肥胖和癌症的发生和发展密切相关。然而，饮食、肥胖和癌症之间复杂关联的潜在机制仍不清楚。在过去的几十年中，microRNAs (miRNAs)，一类小的非编码 RNAs，已被证明在细胞分化、增殖和代谢等生物过程中发挥着关键作用，突出了它们在疾病发展和抑制中的重要性，并作为治疗靶点。miRNA 的表达水平可以通过饮食进行调节，并且与癌症和肥胖相关疾病有关。循环 miRNA 还可以介导细胞间通讯。miRNA 的这些多个方面对理解和整合其作用机制提出了挑战。在这里，我们介绍了饮食、肥胖和癌症之间关联的一般考虑，并回顾了每种情况下 miRNA 分子功能的当前知识。全面了解饮食、肥胖和癌症之间的相互作用对于未来制定有效的预防和治疗策略可能很有价值。miRNA 的这些多个方面对理解和整合其作用机制提出了挑战。在这里，我们介绍了饮食、肥胖和癌症之间关联的一般考虑，并回顾了每种情况下 miRNA 分子功能的当前知识。全面了解饮食、肥胖和癌症之间的相互作用对于未来制定有效的预防和治疗策略可能很有价值。miRNA 的这些多个方面对理解和整合其作用机制提出了挑战。在这里，我们介绍了饮食、肥胖和癌症之间关联的一般考虑，并回顾了每种情况下 miRNA 分子功能的当前知识。全面了解饮食、肥胖和癌症之间的相互作用对于未来制定有效的预防和治疗策略可能很有价值。