In age-adjusted and multivariate analyses based on data from the 1980 questionnaire and 16 years of follow-up, energy-adjusted total dietary fiber intake was not significantly associated with the incidence of colorectal cancer (Table 2TABLE 2
Relative Risk of Colorectal Cancer According to Total Dietary Fiber Intake in 1980.
). Moreover, there was no relation between total dietary fiber intake and the risk of cancer in the proximal or distal colon. There was also no relation when dietary fiber was analyzed without adjustment for total energy intake (multivariate relative risk of colorectal cancer in the highest as compared with the lowest quintile, 1.17; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.51) or when we analyzed crude fiber (multivariate relative risk, 0.96; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.73 to 1.25).