A few practical strategies for modifying the microbiota are using postbiotics, prebiotics, and modifying diet. Despite the prevalence of epidemiological correlations, the exact mechanisms linking certain foods to cancer remain unclear due to challenges in collecting dietary data. Prebiotics with promising results in preclinical models, like resistant starch, inulin, and mucin, are currently being studied in humans to see their impact. In melanoma and colon cancer, they have enhanced the antitumor immunity and the therapeutic response (e.g., NCT03870607, NCT03950635). Chemicals derived from microbes may have advantages in composition and repeatability despite postbiotics receiving less scientific attention. Because of their potential modes of action and associated safety concerns, probiotics, described as live microorganisms offering health advantages when taken in moderation, have garnered a lot of attention in the setting of CRC. Probiotics were first thought to alter gut flora [
84,
85]. However, in addition to changing the microbiota, their role now includes altering it to suit the host's physiology and metabolism. They can produce lactic and acetic acid, or bacteriocins, which limit bacterial development and lower the pH. In addition, they also interact directly with lethal bacteria to restrict their growth [
86]. Probiotics have an immunomodulatory effect in the gut and can either improve immunosurveillance or alter colonic inflammation, depending on the specific activity of each strain. They have been shown by Klaenhammer et al. to alter macrophage subsets and decrease colonic inflammation[
87]. By binding with toll-like receptors (TLRs), specific probiotic strains of
Bifidobacterium infantis and
Bifidobacterium breve stimulate intestinal dendritic cells (DCs), eliciting the expression of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg), type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1) and stimulating the release of IL-10. They also trigger the metabolism of retinoid acid. Other probiotic bacteria, such as
Lactobacillus acidophilus and
Lactobacillus rhamnosus, can block STAT3 and NF-κB signaling to limit Th17 cell production, release IL23 and IL17, and promote a shift in macrophage phenotype from pro-inflammatory M1 to immunosuppressive M2. Probiotics, such as
Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and
Escherichia coli, improve the integrity of the gut barrier by upregulating the synthesis of mucin and the expression of tight junction proteins [
88,
89,
90,
91,
92]. Several studies have shown that probiotics reduce the colonization of pathogens such as
Staphylococcus aureus and
Clostridium difficile, which supports their utility in preventing intestinal infections [
93,
94]. The usefulness of probiotics in treating and preventing colorectal cancer has been the subject of numerous studies. A meta-analysis of data from multiple trials revealed a significant association between probiotic consumption and a decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) [
86].