Baseline characteristics by meat consumption are shown in Table 2.
This is perhaps not surprising since we found a moderate correlation between baseline and follow up meat consumption in this healthy population, suggesting relatively stable meat consumption over the 4 years period, and supporting the notion that nutrient intake is relatively stable and tends to be more stable with increasing age [ 28, 29].
At the MCCS first follow up, basic questions (not complete FFQ as used at MCCS baseline) about the frequency of meat consumption (fresh red meat, chicken, and fish) over the last year were asked.
Mean values of the continuous variables age at baseline (years), consumption of total fresh meat, beef, pork, minced meat, chicken, liver, other meat, meat products, fish, dietary fibre, alcohol, fruit, vegetables, total energy and QI were evaluated for subcohort members and colon and rectal cancer cases with wild-type and mutated K-ras gene.
We also examined meat consumption at baseline and at first follow-up.
The meat consumptions at baseline and first follow up were moderately correlated, with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.37 to 0.40 for fresh red meat, chicken and fish.
Random error in measuring meat consumption at baseline and first follow-up may have occurred in this study, but is most likely to have attenuated the associations we observed.
The CCC dietary scenarios are described in Table 1, using comparison with the UK diet in 2005 as baseline (for example, scenario 1 has meat consumption at 36% of the consumption of meat in 2005).
Data from a food frequency questionnaire administered at baseline were used to calculate red meat intake and intake of total dietary iron, iron from meat, and heme iron.
Data from a food frequency questionnaire administered at baseline were used to calculate intake of all meats, red meat, total dietary iron, iron from meat, haem iron, and non-haem iron.
