DIETARY FACTORS AND COLORECTAL POLYPS - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

In case-control study we compared dietary habits among 108 patients wi th small(less than or equal to 5 mm, n = 26), medium (59 mm, n = 48) o r large (greater than or equal to 10 mm, n = 34) colorectal polyps wit h 35 healthy age- and gender-matched controls. A food record by weighi ng during 5 consecutive days was performed. The intake of fat was sign ificantly higher among the patients, in contrast to a significantly lo wer intake of carbohydrate, dietary fibre and iron, compared with cont rols. The intake of vitamin C and calcium was shown to be lower among the patients, but this was significant only for women. There was a ten dency among the patients to consume a lower-antioxidant, fibre and cer eal fibre diet, and a calcium-rich and more cholesterol-rich diet with increasing size of polyps. The patients with the smallest polyps tend ed to consume less starch, Our results are too preliminary to draw con clusions with regard to the influence of nutritional factors on the si ze and growth of polyps. However, our results on risk factors for the presence of polyps are in agreement with previous studies. Further stu dies taking into account the size of the polyp are needed to corrobora te our findings.