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Importance of Diet and Colorectal Cancer Risks
Recent research confirmed a positive association between alcohol and a higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), and an inverted association of dairy products and calcium with CRC risk. The data also suggest that higher dietary intakes of magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, total protein, riboflavin, and beta-carotene are also associated with lower risks of developing CRC.
Researchers conducted a diet-wide association study (DWAS) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) to evaluate the associations between several dietary exposures with CRC risk. They assessed 386,792 participants, of whom 5069 developed incident CRC, and found 92 food and nutrient intakes associated with CRC risk. Researchers utilized the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS) database, as well as testing with EPIC based on confirmed CRC-associated loci.
“Of these 20 associations, 13 were replicated in NLCS, for which a meta-analysis was performed, namely alcohol (liquor/spirits, wine, and beer/cider); milk; cheese; calcium; phosphorus; magnesium; potassium; riboflavin; beta-carotene; and total protein. None of the gene-nutrient interactions were significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons,” the authors reported.
“In EPIC, alcohol, liquor/spirits, wine, beer/cider, soft drinks, and pork were positively associated with CRC, whereas milk, cheese, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, beta-carotene, fruit, fibre, non-white bread, banana, and total protein intakes were inversely associated,” the authors concluded.
--Angelique Platas
Reference:
Papadimitriou N, Bouras E, Brandt PA, et al. A prospective diet-wide association study for risk of colorectal cancer in EPIC. AGA Published online April 23, 2021.
