Abstract

The associations of meat, poultry and fish intakes with colorectal cancer risk were examined, using individual dietary data pooled from 7 prospective studies in the UK Dietary Cohort Consortium. The aim was to investigate the dose-response relationships using detailed methods to capture dietary intakes.

Within the 7 cohorts, 579 cases of colorectal cancer were identified and matched with 1,996 controls on age, sex and date of recruitment. Four- to seven-day diet diaries were analysed for food and nutrient intakes, disaggregating the weights of meat, poultry and fish from composite foods. Data were pooled and analysed using conditional logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios for colorectal cancer associated with meat, poultry and fish intakes, adjusting for age, height, weight, smoking, and intakes of alcohol, energy and dietary fibre. There was no evidence of an association between red and processed meat combined, red meat, processed meat, poultry, total fish, white fish or fatty fish and colorectal cancer (P for trend ranged from 0.08 to 0.99). For red and processed meat combined, the odds ratio for highest (>75g per day) compared with lowest (<25g per day) intake was 0.85 (95% CI 0.63-1.14), P for trend 0.61.

This large prospective study using pooled detailed data from diet diaries does not show evidence of an association between intakes of meat, poultry or fish and colorectal cancer risk.