Br J Nutr. 2013 Mar 14;109(5):920-7.
Adherence to a healthy Nordic food index is associated with a lower incidence of colorectal cancer in women: the Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study.
Kyrø C, Skeie G, Loft S, Overvad K, Christensen J, Tjønneland A, Olsen A.
Source
Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen Ø,
Denmark.
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a multi-factorial disease in which diet is believed
to play a role. Little is known about the health effects of specific regional
diets. The Nordic diet is high in fat and sugar but also includes a range of
traditional products with anticipated health-promoting effects. The aim of this
cohort study was to determine whether a healthy Nordic food index consisting of
fish, cabbage, rye bread, oatmeal, apples, pears and root vegetables was related
to CRC incidence. Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study of 57,053
Danish men and women aged 50-64 years, of whom 1025 developed CRC (13 years'
follow-up). Incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95 % CI were calculated from Cox
proportional hazard models. Women who strongly adhered to a healthy Nordic food
index had a 35 % lower incidence of CRC than women with poor adherence (adjusted
IRR, 0·65; 95 % CI 0·46, 0·94); a similar tendency was found for men. Women had
a 9 % lower incidence of CRC per point adherence to the healthy Nordic food
index, but no significant effect was found for men. A regional diet based on
healthy Nordic food items was therefore associated with a lower incidence of CRC
in women. The protective effect was of the same magnitude as previously found
for the Mediterranean diet, suggesting that healthy regional diets should be
promoted in order to ensure health; this will also preserve cultural heredity
and the environment.
PMID: 22874538 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]