Dietary and lifestyle characteristics of colorectal cancer in Jordan: A case-control study

Objectives: We evaluated dietary pattern and lifestyle characteristics of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in Jordan. Design: The case-control study included 220 recently diagnosed CRC cases and 220 age and gender matched healthy subjects as a control group. Results: The participating CRC cases had lower dietary intake of fibre, folate, vitamin B12, β-carotene, vitamin C and selenium as compared to controls (P<0.05). The frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables was also lower among CRC cases, while the frequency of consumption of red meat and saturated fat was higher and positively associated with CRC risk. Furthermore, family history for CRC played a positive role and the majority of CRC cases and controls had a low physical activity level. Conclusions: A sedentary lifestyle and a diet low in fruits and vegetables, and high in animal red meat and saturated fat, appeared associated with CRC among the studied Jordanian subjects. This is consistent with the reported CRC studies in developed nations indicating global causal effects for this tumour type.