Dietary intake is associated with the prevalence of uterine leiomyoma in Korean women: A retrospective cohort study

Objective: To evaluate the association between dietary intake and the prevalence of uterine leiomyoma (UL) in Korean women. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study with dietary intake assessment. Setting: A Health check-up center Population: A cohort of 672 Korean women aged 25–65 years from a previous study. Methods: Dietary intake was assessed using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and the presence of UL was evaluated by ultrasonography. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between dietary intake and the prevalence of UL with adjustment for confounding factors. Main Outcome Measures: Dietary intake and prevalence of UL. Results: A total of 219 (32.6%) women were diagnosed with UL. High intakes of fish and poultry were associated with a high prevalence of UL; ORs (95% CIs) comparing top vs. bottom quartiles were 1.70 (1.02-2.84; p trend = 0.049) for fish intake and 1.85 (1.09 -3.14; p trend = 0.07) for poultry intake. High intake of dairy products was inversely associated with the prevalence of UL (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.36–0.98; p trend = 0.06). When we examined pre- and post-menopausal women separately, the association for poultry intake was generally limited to postmenopausal women. In premenopausal women, those with higher vegetable intake had a lower prevalence of UL (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.22 -1.01 for top vs. bottom quartiles; p trend = 0.01). Conclusions: We found that high intakes of fish and poultry, but low intake of dairy products, were associated with a higher prevalence of UL. Vegetable intake was inversely associated with the prevalence of UL in premenopausal women.