Objective To investigate the causal relationship between dried fruit intake and colorectal cancer (CRC) by using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

Methods Two-sample MR analysis was conducted utilizing summary data from genome-wide association studies on dried fruit intake and colorectal cancer. Separate analyses were performed using data for colon cancer and rectal cancer for validation. Genetic variants significantly and independently associated with dried fruit intake were selected as instrumental variables. The inverse variance weighted method, MR-Egger regression, weighted median method, simple mode method, and weighted mode method were employed as the primary analytical approaches. Heterogeneity tests, pleiotropy analysis, and sensitivity analysis were conducted to evaluate the reliability of the study.

Results A total of 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with dried fruit intake were included as instrumental variables. The inverse variance weighted analysis revealed that increased dried fruit intake was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (OR=0.55, 95%CI, 0.32 to 0.96, P=3.53×10^-2), with consistent results observed for both colon cancer and rectal cancer. The findings of this study were not influenced by pleiotropy or heterogeneity, and the reliability of the results was validated by sensitivity analysis.

Conclusion Increasing dried fruit intake has potential preventive value against colorectal cancer.