Vegetarian diet and reduced uterine fibroids risk: A case-control study in Nanjing, China

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate whether a vegetarian diet correlates with a potential reduced risk of uterine fibroids. Material and Methods We used data from a case–control study conducted in Southeast University Zhongda Hospital between February 2010 and December 2014. Cases included 600 Chinese Han women with uterine fibroids (case group) whose clinical diagnosis dated back no more than 1 year. Controls were 600 patients without uterine fibroids as well as healthy volunteers (control group). All of the information gathered through the questionnaire survey was analyzed for the risk factors of the uterine fibroids pathogenesis. Results The multifactor analysis showed that women with uterine fibroids reported a less frequent consumption of broccoli (odds ratio [OR]: 0.552; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.316–0.964), cabbage (OR: 0.446; 95%CI: 0.211–0.943), Chinese cabbage (OR: 0.311; 95%CI: 0.102–0.946), tomato (OR: 0.453; 95%CI: 0.241–0.853), and apple (OR: 0.416; 95%CI: 0.213–0.814) (P < 0.05). Conclusion The original evidence from this epidemiological investigation shows that a high consumption of broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, tomato and apple seems to be a protective factor for uterine fibroids. We suggest that greater intake of fresh fruits and cruciferous vegetables may be able to reduce the incidence of uterine fibroids.