Risk of Oesophageal Cancer With Vegetarian and Nonvegetarian Diet, Consumption of Vegetables, Fruits, Meat, Fish, Spicy Food, Tea, Hot Beverages, Milk & Milk Products

Background: Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that can affect any part of the body and is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Oesophageal cancer is arising from the oesophagus - the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Aetiology, incidence, prevalence, diagnosis, and management of cancer is also growing day by day documenting changing role of food and dietary habits and live style. To study the nutrit Objectives: ional risk factors influencing carcinoma oesophagus. It were a hospital-based case control study where 62 cases and controls have Materials And Methods: been interviewed, data collected and analysed. Nutritional factors were found influencing carcinoma oesoph Results: agus depending on quantity consumed. In this study, most of the cases (96.8%) were non vegetarian and this diet was found to be associated with higher risk of carcinoma oesophagus (P<0.05, OR 4.44). Those who consumed green leafy vegetables, vegetables other than green leafy ones and fresh fruits low in amount (less than 3 times per week) were found to be associated with higher risk of oesophageal cancer (P<0.001 and OR 8.13, P<0.05 and OR 2.17, P<0.01 and OR 3.97 respectively). Milk and milk products and fish consumption were found protective. Less than 3 times consumption of milk and milk products were found to be associated with higher risk of oesophageal cancer (P<0.05, OR 3.25) and fish consumption 3 times or more per week was found to be protective. (P<0.05, OR 0.35). Meat and spicy food consumption were found to be associated with higher risk of oesophageal cancer (P<0.05, OR 3.33 and P<0.01, OR 3.09). Consumption of tea was found to be associated with higher risk of oesophageal cancer (P<0.05, OR 4.44). Tea consumption 3 times or more per day, concentrated tea consumption and hot tea consumption all were found to be associated with oesophageal cancer significantly (P<0.05, 0.01 and 0.01 respectively). A strong relat Conclusion: ionship is established in between consumption of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, milk and milk product, meat, fish, spicy food, tea consumption in variable quantity and oesophageal cancer.