Table 1.
Selected characteristics of the study population, by sex, and colorectal cancer status, EPIC cohort study, 1992–2014.
| Men | Women | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases (n = 2651) | Non-cases (n = 128,774) | Cases (n = 3511) | Non-cases (315,169) | |
| Age at recruitment, yrs | 56.0 ± 7.4 | 51.5 ± 9.9 | 56.4 ± 8.1 | 50.1 ± 9.7 |
| Anthropometry, mean ± SD | ||||
| BMI, kg/m² | 27.2 ± 3.8 | 26.4 ± 3.6 | 25.6 ± 4.4 | 24.8 ± 4.3 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 97.3 ± 10.2 | 94.3 ± 10.1 | 82.3 ± 11.5 | 79.6 ± 11.1 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio | 0.96 ± 0.06 | 0.94 ± 0.06 | 0.81 ± 0.07 | 0.79 ± 0.07 |
| Lifestyle variables, % | ||||
| Smoking status and intensity | ||||
| Never | 23.9 | 31.7 | 46.7 | 47.1 |
| Current | 18.5 | 20.7 | 19.5 | 18.7 |
| Current, 1–15 cig/day | 8.6 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 12.4 |
| Current, 16–25 cig/day | 7.4 | 7.9 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Current, 26+ cig/day | 2.45 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Former | 42.1 | 35.2 | 25.4 | 22.5 |
| Former, quit ≤ 10 years | 13.7 | 12.5 | 8.4 | 8.5 |
| Former, quit 11–20 years | 13.6 | 11.3 | 7.5 | 7.2 |
| Former, quit 20+ years | 14.8 | 11.4 | 9.5 | 6.8 |
| Current, pipe/cigar/occasional | 12.1 | 9.3 | 5.67 | 8.7 |
| Missing | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.63 | 3.2 |
| Physical activity | ||||
| Inactive | 22.4 | 17.5 | 20.3 | 25.6 |
| Moderately inactive | 31.2 | 30.9 | 34.3 | 33.8 |
| Moderately active | 21.9 | 24.2 | 27.8 | 23.2 |
| Active | 22.7 | 25.1 | 15.7 | 15.6 |
| Missing | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Highest education level attained | ||||
| None | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.5 |
| Primary school completed | 34.1 | 28.6 | 29.4 | 23.0 |
| Technical/professional school | 25.1 | 24.9 | 25.5 | 22.3 |
| Secondary school | 11.4 | 13.3 | 18.8 | 24.1 |
| Higher education | 21.7 | 27.1 | 16.6 | 23.1 |
| Missing | 3.3 | 2.9 | 5.8 | 4.1 |
| Menopause | ||||
| Pre-menopause | 13.4 | 35.0 | ||
| Perimenopause | 15.5 | 19.8 | ||
| Post-menopause | 67.1 | 42.5 | ||
| Use of HRT | ||||
| Never | 62.9 | 68.1 | ||
| Ever | 28.9 | 25.2 | ||
| Missing/unknown | 8.3 | 6.8 | ||
| Dietary intake, mean ± SD | ||||
| Total energy, kcal/day | 2378 ± 631 | 2418 ± 662 | 1903 ± 514 | 1937 ± 541 |
| Alcohol, g/day | 24.2 ± 25.1 | 20.9 ± 23.1 | 8.7 ± 12.3 | 8.4 ± 12 |
| Red and processed meats, g/day | 105.0 ± 59 | 99.0 ± 62.2 | 67.6 ± 40.8 | 66.0 ± 43.0 |
| Poultry, g/day | 22.1 ± 22.3 | 20.9 ± 22.0 | 18.0 ± 18.8 | 18.1 ± 18.8 |
| Fish and shellfish, g/day | 41.5 ± 36.0 | 37.2 ± 35.2 | 37.8 ± 35.1 | 38.2 ± 36.8 |
| Fiber, g/day | 23.5 ± 8.1 | 24.3 ± 8.5 | 22.0 ± 7.3 | 22.2 ± 7.4 |
| Fat, g/day | 90.4 ± 30.9 | 92.5 ± 32.0 | 73.2 ± 25.7 | 75.3 ± 26.6 |
| Protein, g/day | 97.5 ± 29.1 | 97.6 ± 30.1 | 81.4 ± 23.4 | 82.9 ± 25.1 |
| Calcium, g/day | 1.00 ± 0.4 | 1.04 ± 0.4 | 0.97 ± 0.4 | 0.98 ± 0.4 |
| Tea, g/day | 213 ± 201 | 208 ± 195 | 233 ± 185 | 221 ± 172 |
| Coffee, g/day | 485 ± 444 | 464 ± 429 | 416 ± 369 | 367 ± 343 |
| Vitamin C, mg/day | 110 ± 60 | 114 ± 63 | 123 ± 63 | 125 ± 64 |
| Iron | ||||
| Total iron, mg/day | 14.5 ± 4.7 | 14.6 ± 4.7 | 11.8 ± 3.5 | 12.2 ± 3.8 |
| Heme iron, mg/day | 1.9 ± 1.2 | 1.8 ± 1.2 | 1.22 ± 0.8 | 1.22 ± 0.8 |
| Non heme iron, mg/day | 12.6 ± 4.1 | 12.8 ± 4.1 | 10.6 ± 3.2 | 11.0 ± 3.4 |
BMI body mass index, HRT hormone replacement therapy, SD standard deviation.