During a median follow-up of I 3,4 y (5th-95th percentile: 4.6-15.0 y), 644 incident cases of colon cancer and 345 of rectal cancer were diagnosed. The colon cancer cases comprised 266 cancers of the proximal part of the colon, 328 cancers of the distal part, and 50 with no definitive site information. The baseline characteristics across intake groups of red meat for men and women separately are shown in Table1. Both men and women with the highest reported level of red meat consumption were more likely to be current smokers, NSAID users, have a higher waist circumference, and consume more diatary fiber and total energy than those in the lowest intake group; furthermore, men in the highest intake group consumed more alcohol and women in the highest intake group were less likely to have a high education and to be physically active than those in the loweat intake groups.