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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Feb 28.
Published in final edited form as: Nutr Cancer. 2013 Feb;65(2):202–226. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2013.756534

Table 2.

Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for colorectal cancer according to category of red meat and poultry intakes

Quintile of intakea
P-Trend P-heterogeneity
between subsitesc
Q1b Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

OR 95% CI OR 95% CI OR 95% CI OR 95% CI
Red meat (unprocessed), g/1,000 kcal
 Total colorectal cancer
  No. of cases 184 217 184 231 173
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.31 0.99, 1.75 1.15 0.86, 1.53 1.48 1.11, 1.97 1.14 0.85, 1.54 0.478 __
  Multivariabled 1 1.24 0.92, 1.67 1.05 0.78, 1.43 1.38 1.03, 1.86 1.02 0.75, 1.40 0.975 __
 Colon cancere
  No. of cases 139 146 127 162 119
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.18 0.86, 1.62 1.09 0.79, 1.50 1.44 1.05, 1.97 1.11 0.80, 1.54 0.437 __
  Multivariable 1 1.12 0.81, 1.55 1.00 0.72, 1.40 1.34 0.97, 1.86 1.00 0.71, 1.40 0.865 __
 Rectal cancer
  No. of cases 42 71 55 67 54
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.83 1.19, 2.83 1.41 0.90, 2.21 1.72 1.11, 2.67 1.37 0.87, 2.16 0.608 0.493
  Multivariable 1 1.72 1.10, 2.68 1.28 0.81, 2.03 1.61 1.02, 2.52 1.21 0.76, 1.94 0.997 0.544
 Proximal colon cancerf
  No. of cases 78 93 89 94 62
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.42 0.97, 2.07 1.47 1.01, 2.16 1.63 1.11, 2.38 1.16 0.77, 1.74 0.637 __
  Multivariable 1 1.38 0.94, 2.03 1.41 0.95, 2.08 1.58 1.07, 2.33 1.09 0.72, 1.65 0.888 __
 Distal colon cancer
  No. of cases 54 50 32 66 51
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.96 0.62, 1.48 0.63 0.39, 1.02 1.28 0.84, 1.94 0.99 0.64, 1.54 0.514 0.547
  Multivariable 1 0.89 0.57, 1.39 0.56 0.34, 0.92 1.15 0.75, 1.77 0.86 0.55, 1.35 0.944 0.457
Red meat (processed), g/1,000 kcal
Red meat (processed), g/1,000 kcalTotal colorectal cancer
  No. of cases 170 181 195 218 225
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.12 0.83, 1.50 1.26 0.94, 1.69 1.37 1.02, 1.83 1.49 1.11, 2.00 0.007 __
  Multivariable 1 0.99 0.73, 1.34 1.09 0.81, 1.49 1.18 0.87, 1.61 1.18 0.87, 1.62 0.223 __
 Total colon cancer
  No. of cases 125 120 142 149 157
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.01 0.73, 1.41 1.28 0.93, 1.76 1.31 0.95, 1.81 1.48 1.07, 2.05 0.009 __
  Multivariable 1 0.91 0.65, 1.28 1.13 0.81, 1.57 1.15 0.82, 1.61 1.21 0.86, 1.70 0.157 __
 Total rectal cancer
  No. of cases 42 59 53 68 67
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.48 0.95, 2.30 1.33 0.85, 2.10 1.61 1.03, 2.49 1.62 1.04, 2.53 0.089 0.685
  Multivariable 1 1.28 0.81, 2.01 1.12 0.70, 1.79 1.35 0.86, 2.13 1.22 0.77, 1.95 0.613 0.919
 Proximal colon cancer
  No. of cases 83 70 85 74 104
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.89 0.60, 1.31 1.18 0.81, 1.72 1.01 0.68, 1.49 1.62 1.11, 2.35 0.003 __
  Multivariable 1 0.80 0.54, 1.19 1.06 0.72, 1.57 0.90 0.60, 1.34 1.33 0.89, 1.97 0.044 __
 Distal colon cancer
  No. of cases 36 46 51 72 48
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 1.29 0.80, 2.09 1.46 0.91, 2.34 1.96 1.25, 3.08 1.34 0.83, 2.18 0.347 0.461
  Multivariable 1 1.16 0.71, 1.89 1.27 0.79, 2.07 1.72 1.08, 2.74 1.09 0.66, 1.81 0.920 0.603
Poultry (unprocessed), g/1,000 kcal
Poultry (unprocessed), g/1,000 kcalTotal colorectal cancer
  No. of cases 301 211 188 160 129
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.76 0.58, 0.99 0.72 0.55, 0.94 0.62 0.47, 0.82 0.56 0.42, 0.75 <0.001 __
  Multivariable 1 0.77 0.59, 1.02 0.79 0.59, 1.04 0.63 0.47, 0.85 0.62 0.46, 0.84 0.003 __
 Total colon cancer
  No. of cases 217 148 128 105 95
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.76 0.56, 1.01 0.71 0.53, 0.96 0.59 0.43, 0.81 0.62 0.45, 0.86 0.004 __
  Multivariable 1 0.77 0.57, 1.04 0.77 0.56, 1.05 0.60 0.44, 0.84 0.68 0.48, 0.95 0.023 __
 Total rectal cancer
  No. of cases 79 61 60 55 34
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.80 0.54, 1.18 0.81 0.54, 1.19 0.73 0.49, 1.08 0.49 0.31, 0.77 0.003 0.255
  Multivariable 1 0.83 0.56, 1.24 0.91 0.60, 1.37 0.77 0.51, 1.18 0.56 0.35, 0.90 0.022 0.379
 Proximal colon cancer
  No. of cases 138 99 71 62 46
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.81 0.58, 1.14 0.65 0.45, 0.93 0.58 0.40, 0.84 0.51 0.34, 0.77 <0.001 __
  Multivariable 1 0.83 0.59, 1.16 0.70 0.48, 1.01 0.59 0.40, 0.87 0.56 0.37, 0.85 0.003 __
 Distal colon cancer
  No. of cases 70 45 54 40 44
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.68 0.44, 1.03 0.85 0.56, 1.27 0.63 0.40, 0.97 0.75 0.49, 1.17 0.310 0.108
  Multivariable 1 0.67 0.44, 1.04 0.89 0.58, 1.36 0.62 0.39, 0.98 0.80 0.51, 1.26 0.469 0.209
Poultry (processed), g/1,000 kcal g
 Total colorectal cancer
  No. of cases 316 337 336
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.87 0.70, 1.09 0.90 0.72, 1.12 0.603 __
  Multivariable 1 0.88 0.70, 1.11 0.94 0.75, 1.19 0.938 __
 Total colon cancer
  No. of cases 219 233 241
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.89 0.70, 1.14 0.96 0.75, 1.23 0.926 __
  Multivariable 1 0.90 0.70, 1.16 0.99 0.77, 1.28 0.580 __
 Total rectal cancer
  No. of cases 95 102 92
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.83 0.60, 1.15 0.76 0.54, 1.05 0.160 0.139
  Multivariable 1 0.85 0.61, 1.18 0.82 0.58, 1.14 0.752 0.199
 Proximal colon cancer
  No. of cases 133 145 138
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.96 0.71, 1.28 0.95 0.70, 1.28 0.801 __
  Multivariable 1 0.97 0.72, 1.30 0.96 0.70, 1.30 0.829 __
 Distal colon cancer
  No. of cases 78 76 99
  Age-, sex-, and energy-adjusted 1 0.77 0.54, 1.10 1.01 0.72, 1.42 0.409 0.955
  Multivariable 1 0.78 0.54, 1.11 1.07 0.76, 1.52 0.245 0.873
a

Quintiles of intake were as follows: unprocessed red meat (g/1,000 kcal), quintile 1 (< 8.7), quintile 2 (8.7-14.5), quintile 3 (14.6-22.6), quintile 4 (22.7-35.6), quintile 5 (> 35.6); processed red meat (g/1,000 kcal), quintile 1 (< 2.8), quintile 2 (2.8-5.5), quintile 3 (5.6-9.4), quintile 4 (9.5-17.6), quintile 5 (> 17.6); unprocessed poultry (g/1000 kcal), quintile 1 (< 4.5), quintile 2 (4.5-9.0), quintile 3 (9.1-14.9), quintile 4 (15.0-26.2), quintile 5 (> 26.2); processed poultry (g/1000 kcal), tertile 1 (0), tertile 2 (0.1-0.9), tertile 3(> 1.0).

b

Referent quintile.

c

Effect heterogeneity was evaluated between colon and rectal cancer and proximal and distal colon cancer.

d

ORs were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, past regular NSAID use, and intakes of total energy and fruits and vegetables. Unprocessed and processed red meat both were adjusted for total poultry intake; unprocessed and processed poultry both adjusted for total red meat.

e

7 cases lacked anatomical subsite information.

f

24 cases had colon cancer in overlapping sites or not otherwise specified colon sites.

g

Processed poultry was categorized into tertiles, with zero consumption as the referent group, due to smaller intake ranges and more than 20 percent zero values.