Dietary patterns in high and low consumers of meat in a Swedish cohort study

The objective was to examine relationships between meat and other food item s which have been associated with higher risk of cancer in the colon and pr ostate in some epidemiological studies. The study was conducted as a popula tion-based cohort study comprising 11648 subjects (4816 male and 6742 femal e) born between 1925 and 1945 and living in the city of Malmo, Sweden. Data on mean daily intake of foods and nutrients were assessed with a diet hist ory method combining a 7-day menu book and a food frequency questionnaire. Increasing meat intake, expressed in quintiles and adjusted for energy, was associated with decreasing intakes of poultry, fish, fruits, bread, cereal s and cheese in both sexes. Low negative correlations between meat intake a nd ascorbic acid (r = -0.11) and fiber (r = -0.16 to -0.20) were noted. The average intake of fat from meat out of total fat intake was 13.6% in men a nd 11.9% in women. No major associations were noted between meat and the ch olesterol raising fatty acids C:12:0, C:14:0, C:160 nor for C:20:4 or its p recursor C:18:2. In conclusion, our findings indicate that meat consumption is negatively as sociated with food groups rich in antioxidants and fiber and the positive c ovariance reported between meat and cancer and coronary heart disease might , therefore, not be directly linked to components in meat. (C) 1999 Academi c Press.