Dietary patterns associated with colorectal cancer risk in the Malaysian population: a case-control study with exploratory factor and regression analysis.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the relationship between diet and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk using single food or nutrient approach are widely conducted as opposed to dietary pattern approach. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the major dietary patterns and their association with CRC risk among Malaysians. METHODS: Patients aged between 18 and 80 years old from two teaching hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia were recruited through purposive sampling. Socio-demographic information and anthropometry data were assessed before the colonoscopy procedure, and dietary intake was also recorded using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Cases were those patients having histopathologically proven CRC, while controls were those without. RESULTS: Four major dietary patterns were identified: the allergenic diet, plant-based diet, processed diet, and energy-dense diet pattern. After adjusting for potential covariates, the processed diet pattern was consistently associated with CRC (OR = 3.45; 95% CI = 1.25-9.52; P = 0.017) while the plant-based diet, energy-dense diet, and allergenic diet were not associated with CRC risk. CONCLUSIONS: The processed diet pattern attributed to a diet high in confectionaries and fast foods was associated with an increased risk of CRC in the Malaysian population. In order to give prevention measures through lifestyle change, more research could be done on the effect of food patterns on faecal microbiota associated with CRC.

Diet is Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk among Asian Adults: A Scoping Review.

This review aimed to map current evidence on the association between dietary factors and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in Asia. This review was conducted based on Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) flow diagram was used to record the review process. For the purpose of searching for articles, three electronic databases namely PubMed, EBSCOHost and ScienceDirect were employed. The inclusion criteria for articles selection were articles with association analysis between diet and CRC risk among Asians, had adults as participants, articles were written in English, open-accessed and published between years 2009 and 2021. Thus, 35 out of 369 screened articles were eventually included in this review which covered 28 case-control studies, six prospective cohort studies and one randomised clinical trial. Foods such as meats, alcohol and westernised diet have been shown to be associated with increase of CRC risk while fruits, vegetables and traditional meals decreased the risk of CRC. Only a few interventional and dietary patterns studies were identified. Specific single foods and nutrients and dietary patterns have been found to increase the risk but also protected the Asian population against CRC. The findings of this review will guide health professionals, researchers and policy makers to conduct a suitable study design and topic for future research.

Prevalence, Symptoms, and Associated Factors of Chronic Constipation Among Older Adults in North-East of Peninsular Malaysia.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence, symptoms, and associated factors of chronic constipation among older adults in the North-East of Peninsular Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among older patients from four health clinics. A total of 400 older patients participated, with a mean age of 68.7 (SD = 6.4) years. The prevalence of chronic constipation was 14.8%. The highest symptom reported was the inability to pass stool (98.3%). Chronic constipation was significantly associated with older age (OR = 2.97; 95% CI [1.17, 7.54]; p = .022), inadequate plain water intake per day (OR = 2.13; 95% CI [1.13, 4.02]; p = .020), hypertension (OR = 2.22; 95% CI [1.07, 4.61]; p = .033), and hyperlipidemia (OR = 2.52; 95% CI [1.24, 5.11]; p = .010). Identification of chronic constipation should be done as part of routine clinic visits, especially for older patients with cardiovascular disease.

Polymorphisms of cell cycle regulator genes CCND1 G870A and TP53 C215G: Association with colorectal cancer susceptibility risk in a Malaysian population.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) occurs as a more common sporadic form and a less common familial form. Our earlier analysis of germline mutations of mismatch repair genes confirmed only 32% of familial CRC cases as Lynch syndrome cases. It was hypothesized that the remaining familial aggregation may be 'polygenic' due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of low penetrance genes involved in cancer predisposition pathways, such as cell cycle regulation and apoptosis pathways. The current case-control study involving 104 CRC patients (52 sporadic and 52 familial) and 104 normal healthy controls investigated the contribution of the SNPs cyclin D1 (CCND1) G870A and tumor protein p53 (TP53) C215G in modulating familial and sporadic CRC susceptibility risk. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the polymorphisms were genotyped by employing a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The association between these polymorphisms and CRC susceptibility risk was calculated using a binary logistic regression analysis and deriving odds ratios (ORs). The A/A variant genotype of CCND1 and G/G variant genotype of TP53 exhibited a significantly greater association with the risk of sporadic CRC [CCND1: OR, 3.471; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.443-8.350; P=0.005. TP53: OR, 2.829; CI, 1.119-7.152; P=0.026] as well as familial CRC susceptibility (CCND1: OR, 3.086; CI, 1.270-7.497; P=0.019. TP53: OR, 3.048; CI, 1.147-8.097; P=0.030). The results suggest a potential role of the SNPs CCND1 G870A and TP53 C215G in the modulation of sporadic and familial CRC susceptibility risk.