Dietary habits and colorectal cancer incidence in a second-defined kibbutz population

The incidence of colorectal cancer in Israel is highest in European- and American-born immigrants. This is believed to be related mainly to their dietary habits. To investigate this issue further, we compared the diets of a sample of members of a well-established kibbutz (BA), which was settled by immigrants of European origin, with the diets of an age- and sex-matched sample of European-born residents of Tel-Aviv and of a previously studied kibbutz (GB). The diet of the people of kibbutz BA compared with those in Tel-Aviv was significantly lower in poultry and significantly higher in polyunsaturated fats; it also had a higher polyunsaturated/saturated fats ratio. Compared with both the Tel-Aviv residents and the kibbutz GB members, the kibbutz BA members had a significantly lower intake of saturated fats; they also had a higher intake of dietary fiber, available carbohydrates, calories, and many minerals and vitamins. However, the incidence of colorectal cancers in the kibbutz BA population was slightly, but non-significantly, higher than expected, based on age, ethnic group, sex, and calendar year-specific national incidence rates. These results are in contrast to our earlier study in which we found that kibbutz GB had less colorectal cancer than expected; thus, the results of the current study are presently unexplained.