The association of percentage energy from fat and colon cancer risk among members of the US military

Abstract

Purpose Epidemiologic studies have previously reported an association between high fat intake and colon cancer risk. However, findings have generally been inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate the association between fat as a percentage of energy intake and colon cancer risk. Methods Study subjects included 215 cases and 215 matched controls identified by the Defense Medical Surveillance System. Percentage energy from fat (Pfat) was estimated using a short dietary screener developed by the National Cancer Institute for two time periods: the year before first blood draw and colon cancer diagnosis. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between colon cancer risk and Pfat. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results Compared with the lowest quartile of Pfat, the adjusted odds of having colon cancer were 2.00 (95% CI 0.96–4.18), 2.83 (95% CI 1.41–5.66) and 3.37 (95% CI 1.58–7.17) for the second, third, and highest quartiles in the year before cancer diagnosis. Similar results were observed for Pfat at an earlier time. Conclusion Our findings suggest a positive association between Pfat and colon cancer in the U.S. military population.