A case–control study on diet and colorectal cancer from Mumbai, India

Colorectal cancer is more common in the western countries. Studies have reported on risk factors for colorectal cancer across the globe but no study results are reported yet from India. This is the first hospital-based case–control study on colorectal cancer from India. This study conducted at Tata Memorial hospital, Mumbai, India, included 203 cases of colorectal cancer and 1628 hospital controls. Data was collected on chewing, smoking, alcohol habits and dietary habits. The results indicated no significant excess risk for chewers, smokers and alcohol drinkers compared to those without the habits. However some significant findings emerged regarding the dietary habits. Cabbage-eaters had a 50% reduction in risk among both the sexes, compared to those who did not eat cabbage. Sprout eaters also had an 30–50% reduction in risk. There was an enhanced 1.6-fold risk among men who ate ‘dry-fish’ compared to those who did not eat dry-fish (OR = 1.6; CI: 1.0, 2.6). Among women, meat-eaters had a 2.4-fold excess risk than non-meat-eaters. Likewise for fresh-fish eaters, there was a 40–70% reduction in risk compared to those who did not eat fresh-fish. Dark-green-leafy-vegetables and ‘other vegetables’ did not show any protective effect for colorectal cancer in this study.