Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Polyp cohort (N = 162) | Healthy gut controls (N = 91) | P value | |
| Sex, female:male | 70:92 | 43:48 | 0.535 |
| Age, yr, mean | 60.5 | 57.4 | 0.099 |
| BMI, mean | 26.6 | 25.4 | 0.080 |
| Stool samples, n | 136 | 83 | |
| Blood samples, n | 135 | 71 | |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| Diverticular disease | 60 (37) | 37 (40.7) | 0.592 |
| IBD | 16 (9.9) | 0 (0) | 0.0007 |
| Gastritis | 32 (19.8) | 26 (28.6) | 0.121 |
| Hepatitis | 8 (4.9) | 8 (8.8) | 0.283 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 7 (4.3) | 1 (1.1) | 0.265 |
| Liver metastases | 7 (4.3) | 1 (1.1) | 0.265 |
| Arterial hypertension | 75 (46.3) | 32 (35.2) | 0.111 |
| Chronic heart failure | 5 (3.09) | 1 (1.1) | 0.424 |
| Dysplipidemia | 67 (41.36) | 43 (47.3) | 0.428 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 13 (8) | 2 (2.2) | 0.093 |
| Type II diabetes | 32 (19.8) | 14 (15.4) | 0.497 |
| COPD | 8 (4.9) | 1 (1.1) | 0.163 |
| Hypothyroidism | 43 (26.5) | 17 (18.7) | 0.169 |
| Hyperthyroidism | 2 (1.2) | 2 (2.2) | 0.620 |
| Active cancer | 31 (19.1) | 3 (3.3) | 0.0002 |
| History of cancer | 43 (26.5) | 22 (24.2) | 0.765 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 9 (5.6) | 6 (6.6) | 0.785 |
| Medication, n (%) | |||
| Immunosuppressants | 23 (14.2) | 5 (5.5) | 0.037 |
| Laxatives | 7 (4.3) | 2 (2.2) | 0.496 |
| Pain killers | 32 (19.7) | 12 (13.2) | 0.227 |
| Heart medication | 67 (41.4) | 28 (30.7) | 0.106 |
| Antibiotics | 40 (24.7) | 20 (22) | 0.648 |
| Probiotics | 8 (4.9) | 8 (8.8) | 0.283 |
| Diet and lifestyle, n (%) | |||
| Whole grain bread | |||
| Frequent consumption | 98 (60.5) | 62 (68.1) | 0.277 |
| Occasional consumption | 34 (21) | 17 (18.7) | 0.745 |
| Rare consumption | 24 (14.8) | 9 (9.9) | 0.332 |
| NA | 6 (3.7) | 3 (3.3) | 1 |
| Vegetables, raw | |||
| Frequent consumption | 108 (66.7) | 60 (65.9) | 1 |
| Occasional consumption | 40 (24.7) | 20 (22) | 0.648 |
| Rare consumption | 8 (4.9) | 9 (9.9) | 0.189 |
| NA | 6 (3.7) | 2 (2.2) | 0.715 |
| Vegetables, cooked | |||
| Frequent consumption | 106 (65.4) | 61 (67) | 0.890 |
| Occasional consumption | 44 (27.2) | 23 (25.3) | 0.769 |
| Rare consumption | 5 (3.1) | 5 (5.5) | 0.503 |
| NA | 7 (4.3) | 2 (2.2) | 0.496 |
| Fruits | |||
| Frequent consumption | 114 (70.4) | 67 (73.6) | 0.664 |
| Occasional consumption | 32 (19.7) | 16 (17.6) | 0.740 |
| Rare consumption | 10 (6.2) | 6 (6.6) | 1 |
| NA | 6 (3.7) | 2 (2.2) | 0.715 |
| Red meat | |||
| Frequent consumption | 89 (54.9) | 45 (49.4) | 0.433 |
| Occasional consumption | 51 (31.5) | 29 (31.9) | 1 |
| Rare consumption | 16 (9.9) | 15 (16.5) | 0.161 |
| NA | 6 (3.7) | 2 (2.2) | 0.715 |
| Alcohol | |||
| Daily or several times a week | 53 (32.7) | 28 (30.7) | 0.780 |
| Once a week | 39 (24.1) | 21 (23.1) | 0.880 |
| Less than once a week or never | 63 (38.9) | 39 (42.9) | 0.594 |
| NA | 7 (4.3) | 3 (3.3) | 1 |
| Smoking | |||
| Yes | 94 (58) | 50 (54.9) | 0.692 |
| No | 61 (37.7) | 39 (42.9) | 0.425 |
| NA | 7 (4.3) | 2 (2.2) | 0.496 |
| Physical activity | |||
| Active | 105 (64.8) | 62 (68.1) | 0.679 |
| Not active | 51 (31.5) | 27 (29.7) | 0.779 |
| NA | 6 (3.7) | 2 (2.2) | 0.715 |
| Laboratory parameters (mean) | |||
| AP (40–129 U/L) | 84.8 | 68.8 | 0.003 |
| GGT (<39 U/L) | 51.6 | 32.1 | 0.091 |
| AST (10–35 U/L) | 31.9 | 34.5 | 0.257 |
| ALT (10–35 U/L) | 24.8 | 27.5 | 0.291 |
| LDH (<244 U/L) | 212.9 | 215.4 | 0.771 |
Frequent consumption = several times a week or daily, occasional consumption = several times a month or once a week, rare consumption = 1 time per month or less. Physically active = A minimum of 2 hours of physical exercise per week, or at least 30 minutes of cycling per day, or at least 1 hour of walking per day. For calculation of P value, Fisher exact test and paired t test were used.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AP, alkaline phosphatase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CRC, colorectal carcinoma; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; HPL, hyperplastic polyp; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; LDH, serum lactate dehydrogenase; NA, not available; SSL, sessile serrated lesion; TA, tubular adenoma; TSA, traditional serrated lesion; TVA, tubulovillous adenoma.