Dietary Patterns and Colon Cancer Risk in Whites and African Americans in the North Carolina Colon Cancer Study

摘要

We examined associations of dietary patterns with colon cancernrisk in African Americans and Whites from a case-control studynin North Carolina. Incident colon cancer cases, 40 to 80 yr (n =n636), and matched controls (n = 1,042) were interviewed in per-nson to elicit information on potential colon cancer risk factorsnA validated food frequency questionnaire adapted to include re-ngional foods captured diet over the year prior to diagnosis (cases)nor interview date (controls). Three meaningful intake patternsnwere identified in bothWhites and African Americans: “Western-nSouthern,” “fruit-vegetable,” and “metropolitan.” Compared tonthe Western-Southern pattern, the fruit-vegetable and metropoli-ntan patterns were associated withmore healthful dietary behaviorsn(e.g., higher vegetable intake and lower red meat consumption)nand demographic/lifestyle characteristics typically correlated withnlow colon cancer risk, for example, lower BMI, higher educationnand higher NSAID use. The fruit-vegetable pattern was signifi-ncantly inversely associated with colon cancer risk in Whites (ORn= 0.4, 95% CI = 0.3–0.6) and the metropolitan pattern with annonsignificant 30% risk reduction in both Whites and AfricannAmericans after adjustment for education. TheWestern-Southernnpattern was not associated with colon cancer risk. These findingsnmay explain some of the racial differences in colon cancer incidence and underscore the importance of examining diet-cancer associa-ntions in different population subgroups.