Cancer Management and Research (Jun 2022)

Mediterranean Dietary Pattern is Associated with Lower Odds of Gastric Cancer: A Case–Control Study

  • Tayyem R,
  • Al-Awwad N,
  • Allehdan S,
  • Ajeen R,
  • Al-Jaberi T,
  • Rayyan Y,
  • Bawadi H,
  • Hushki A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 2017 – 2029

Abstract

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Reema Tayyem,1,2 Narmeen Al-Awwad,3 Sabika Allehdan,4 Rawan Ajeen,5 Tareq Al-Jaberi,6 Yaser Rayyan,7 Hiba Bawadi,1 Ahmad Hushki8 1Department of Human Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, 2713, Qatar; 2Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan; 3Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 4Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Sakhir Campus, Zallaq, Kingdom of Bahrain; 5Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at ChapelHill, ChapelHill, NC, 27599, USA; 6Department of General & Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan; 7Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan; 8Endoscopy Unit, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, JordanCorrespondence: Ahmad Hushki, Endoscopy Unit, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan, Email [email protected] Reema Tayyem, Department of Human Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, 2713, Qatar, Email [email protected]: Diet pattern is an important modifiable lifestyle factor. However, epidemiological studies show that the association between dietary patterns and gastric cancer (GC) is conflicting. This study aims to assess the impact of several dietary choices on the risk of GC among newly diagnosed Jordanian patients.Methods: A case–control study was conducted at major oncology centers and hospitals in Jordan. Study participants included 172 patients with incident gastric cancer and 314 controls. Data was collected using interview-based questionnaires. Dietary intake was estimated using a validated Arabic and reproducible food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Dietary patterns were derived using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the association between dietary patterns and GC.Results: Four dietary patterns were itemized; “Mediterranean”, “Prudent”, “Unhealthy” and “High-fruit” dietary patterns. The “Mediterranean” dietary pattern, which includes a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt, lentils, and olive oil was associated with a significant decrease in the odds ratio (OR) of GC for the third and fourth quartiles (OR, 0.394 (confidence interval (CI): 0.211– 0.736); 0.212 (CI: 0.107– 0.419), respectively) after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, smoking, marital status, total energy intake, education level, and physical activity. While the “Unhealthy” and “Prudent” dietary patterns enhance the risk of developing GC, this risk was insignificant at any quartile. Additionally, the “High-Fruit” dietary pattern shows an insignificant protective effect against the risk of GC.Conclusion: The “Mediterranean” dietary pattern was associated with a reduced risk of GC among Jordanians. However, the other three identified dietary patterns were not significantly associated with the risk of GC.Keywords: dietary patterns, gastric cancer, retrospective, case–control study

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