Adherence to DASH-style Diet in Relation to Glioma among Iranian Adults: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study

Introduction and Aims: Data on the association of adherence to DASH-style and glioma are scarce. This hospital-based case-control study examined the association between adherence to DASH-style diet and glioma in a group of Iranian adults.
Cases of glioma (n=128) and their age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n=256) were recruited from hospital. Participants’ dietary intakes were assessed using a validate food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to DASH diet was evaluated.
After controlling for potential confounders, individuals with the greatest adherence to the DASH diet were less likely to have glioma compared with those with the lowest adherence (Odds ratio for the highest vs. the lowest tertile: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.13-0.54). Additional controlling for BMI did not influence the association significantly (0.28; 0.13-0.57). A diverse association was also seen between consumption of fruits (0.31; 0.14-0.68), legumes and nuts (0.23; 0.10-0.53) and risk of glioma. We found a significant positive association between red and processed meat intake and risk of glioma (2.60; 1.16- 5.81). Individuals in the highest tertile of salt intake were 2.87 times more likely to have glioma than those in the bottom tertile after taking all potential confounders into account (2.87; 1.30-6.34).
We found that adherence to the DASH style dietary pattern was inversely associated with glioma. In addition, some components of DASH diet, including red meats and salt intake was positively associated with glioma. Consumption of nuts and legumes as well as fruits was inversely associated with glioma.