Fruit and vegetable intake among Jordanians: results from a case-control study of colorectal cancer

Diets that include fruits and vegetables have been suggested as one way to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the association between consuming fruits and vegetables and CRC risk is not clear. The objective of the present study is to compare fruit and vegetable intake between 2 groups of Jordanians and further investigate this possible relationship.

A history of fruit and vegetable consumption was obtained from 220 people with CRC and 281 healthy controls, all of whom were from Jordan. Both groups were matched for age, sex, occupation, and marital status. Fruit and vegetable consumption was quantified for the previous 12 months in both groups.

Total vegetable intake was associated with the risk of developing CRC. Consuming 5 servings of vegetables a day decreased the risk of developing CRC when compared with no more than 1 serving a day (odds ratio [OR] = 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55-0.97). A significant direct relationship between CRC risk and consuming cauliflower and cabbage was found; however, no association was found for raw or cooked leafy vegetable and other vegetable types. Consuming several types of fruits also revealed no association with risk of CRC, although an increased intake of dates and figs was associated with a reduced risk of developing CRC. The ORs for the highest intake of servings compared with the lowest intake were 0.48 (95% CI: 0.27-0.87; P = .004) for dates and 0.604 (95% CI: 0.35-1.06; P = .003) for figs.

Consuming fruits and vegetables did not significantly correlate with a lowered incidence of CRC. However, a trend of protection was detected for several types of fruits and vegetables.