Dietary Risk Factors and Odds of Colorectal Adenoma in Malaysia: A Case Control Study

Current evidence suggests that dietary and lifestyle factors may play an important role in colorectal cancer risk but there are only a few studies that investigated their relationship with colorectal adenomas (CRA), the precursors for colorectal cancer. A case-control study was conducted to determine the relationship between dietary and lifestyle factors associated with CRA risk among 125 subjects with CRA and 150 subjects without CRA at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM (HCTM), Malaysia. We used dietary history questionnaire (DHQ) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ) to estimate the diet and physical activity. The findings of this study showed that male gender [OR = 2.71 (95% CI= 1.01-7.27)], smoking [OR = 6.39 (95% CI= 1.04-39.30)], family history of cancer [OR = 6.39 (95% CI= 1.04-39.30)], high body fat percentage [OR = 1.25 (95% CI= 1.04-1.51)], high calorie and fat intake [OR = 1.03 (95% CI= 1.01-1.06)], [OR = 1.01 (95% CI= 0.95-1.09)] and red meat intake more than 100 g per day [OR = 1.02 (95% CI= 1.01-1.04)] increased CRA risk. High fiber [OR = 0.78 (95% CI= 0.64-0.95)] and calcium intake [OR = 0.78 (95% CI= 0.98-1.00)] was found to decrease CRA risk. Some of these modifiable risk factors could be advocated as lifestyle interventions to reduce risk of CRA.