Volume 119, Issue 12 pp. 2938-2942
Epidemiology

Dietary intake of calcium, fiber and other micronutrients in relation to colorectal cancer risk: Results from the Shanghai Women's Health Study

Aesun Shin

Aesun Shin

Department of Medicine, Center for Health Services Research and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

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Honglan Li

Honglan Li

Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China

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Xiao-Ou Shu

Xiao-Ou Shu

Department of Medicine, Center for Health Services Research and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

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Gong Yang

Gong Yang

Department of Medicine, Center for Health Services Research and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

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Yu-Tang Gao

Yu-Tang Gao

Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China

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Wei Zheng

Corresponding Author

Wei Zheng

Department of Medicine, Center for Health Services Research and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Fax: +615-322-1754

Center for Health Services Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Medical Center North, S-1121, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-2587, USASearch for more papers by this author
First published: 26 October 2006
Citations: 74

Abstract

We evaluated the associations of dietary intake of calcium, fiber and vitamins with colorectal cancer risk in a population-based prospective cohort study conducted among Chinese women in Shanghai. Subjects were recruited in urban Shanghai from March 1997 to May 2000. All subjects were interviewed in-person to obtain information on demographic and lifestyle factors and anthropometric measurement was conducted. Usual dietary intake, using a validated food frequency questionnaire was assessed at the baseline survey. After following a total of 73,314 women for a median of 5.74 years, 283 incident colorectal cancer cases were recorded. Excluding the first 2 years of follow-up, a high intake of calcium was associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer. Comparing the highest quintile of nutrients intake to the lowest, the adjusted relative risk for colorectal cancer was 0.6 (p value for trend = 0.023) for calcium. No apparent associations were found for fiber, total vitamin A, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and E with colorectal cancer risk. Our results suggest that calcium may be protective against colorectal cancer development even at a lower consumption level compared to Western populations. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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