Diet and cancer prevention: the roles of observation and experimentation.
Observational epidemiology and experimentation by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been used to evaluate dietary factors in cancer prevention; however, consistency in findings has been elusive. In several circles, RCTs are viewed as more credible than observational studies. As the testing of dietary epidemiological findings in RCTs has been more common for colorectal cancer than for other cancers, we use experience with this malignancy to critically appraise the reasons for discrepancies between results of observational and experimental studies.
Martínez
María Elena
ME
Arizona Cancer Center 1515 North Campbell Avenue, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA. emartinez@azcc.arizona.edu
Marshall
James R
JR
Giovannucci
Edward
E
D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D036262:Empirical Research; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D012107:Research Design
D005492:Folic Acid