Researchers evaluated the use of plant and animal foods in areas with a high incidence of colorectal cancer and stroke in a recent study that was published in Nutrients.
Consuming processed and red meat has been found to significantly increase the risk of colon cancer. There is a need for extensive data regarding the relationship between residing in areas with high colorectal cancer incidence and stroke levels and consuming red and processed meat because there are numerous ethnic and racial differences in colorectal cancer cases, trends in food consumption, and regions of residence.
About the study
In the present study, researchers explored the correlation between residing in Stroke Belt states and the incidence quartiles of colorectal cancer with dietary consumption.
The databases employed for the study produced a total of 1069 records. The final sample cohort included 923 participants, including 661 women with a median age of 38.3 years and 261 African American and non-Hispanic Black, 278 Hispanic, and 384 non-Hispanic White participants.
Incidence data for colorectal cancer was derived from colorectal cancer rates observed per 100,000 persons from data collected in 2015. The team divided the states into quartiles according to the incidence of colorectal cancer, which comprised the following:
Q4: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, and West Virginia with the highest incidence of colorectal cancer;
Q3: Delaware, Indiana, Georgia, Montana, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Dakota, and South Carolina with the second-highest incidence of colorectal cancer;
Q2: California, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, and Hampshire with the second lowest incidence of colorectal cancer; and
Q1: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington lowest incidence of colorectal cancer.
Participants were given a list of food types and asked to indicate the number of days they had consumed each food in the previous week. The team categorized the foods as follows: (1) meat, including pork, beef, fish, chicken, and venison; (2) red meat, including only pork, venison, and beef; and (3) healthy foods, including leafy green vegetables, fruits, starchy vegetables, seeds and nuts, grains, seitan, tofu, and tempeh.
