Dietary habits and colorectal cancer incidence in a second‐defined kibbutz population

Abstract

The incidence of colorectal cancer in Israel is highest in European‐ and American‐born immigrants. This is believed to be related mainly to their dietary habits. To investigate this issue further, we compared the diets of a sample of members of a well‐established kibbutz (BA), which was settled by immigrants of European origin, with the diets of an age‐ and sex‐matched sample of European‐born residents of Tel‐A viv and of a previously studied kibbutz (GB). The diet of the people of kibbutz BA compared with those in Tel‐Aviv was significantly lower in poultry and significantly higher in polyunsaturated fats; it also had a higher polyunsaturated/saturated fats ratio. Compared with both the Tel‐Aviv residents and the kibbutz GB members, the kibbutz BA members had a, significantly lower intake of saturated fats; they also had a higher intake of dietary fiber, available carbohydrates, calories, and many minerals and vitamins. However, the incidence of colorectal cancers in the kibbutz BA population was slightly, but non‐significantly, higher than expected, based on age, ethnic group, sex, and calendar year‐specific national incidence rates. These results are in contrast to our earlier study in which we found that kibbutz GB had less colorectal cancer than expected; thus, the results of the current study are presently unexplained.