Concordance of diets and eating practices in a rural Guatemalan setting with the cancer prevention recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund: estimates from existing dietary intake

To evaluate concordance of eating practices in a rural Guatemalan setting with the 14-point cancer prevention recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Two-hundred sixty nine food-frequency questionnaires based on the Willett model were analysed with respect to concordance with the recommendations, aimed at constraining intakes of: fat, sugar, salt, red meat and alcoholic beverages within specific ranges; restricting nutritional supplements' use for the express purpose of avoiding cancer; maximizing the consumption of: edible plants, especially fruits, vegetables, cereals, tubers and legumes; achieving dietary variety and nutrient adequacy; avoiding high-temperature cooking, and exposure to food additives, pesticides and residues; adequately preserving perishable and fungal-prone foods; maintaining normal body composition and regular levels of physical activity. The study was conducted in the county seat and three hamlets from the rural province of Santa Rosa. 214 females and 55 males were evaluated. Daily food servings of plant origin varied from 18.2 to 99.1% (74.6 +/- 10.7%). The guidelines' criteria were met by more than 80% for total fat, red meat, ethanol, fruits and vegetables, cereals-tubers-legumes, sugar and nutritional adequacy, whereas 80% concordance was not met for nutritional supplements, and dietary variety. The other variables could not be evaluated. Concordance with national standards for micronutrient intake was not achieved most frequently for calcium, riboflavin, and iron. Guatemalan cuisine and diet in this rural setting has features of a cancer-protective diet, but complementary actions must be taken, within the social and economic realities of the region.