**3. Patients and methods (our study)**

### **3.1 Characteristics of patients with colorectal polyps and cancer**

One-hundred and sixty six patients diagnosed for large bowel polyps were included in the present study. Of the patients, 76 were female and 90 male, aged 60±13 years (range 19-86 years). Also, 107 patients with CRC (48 female and 59 male) aged 64±11 years (range 32-94 years), 3 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), and 2 patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, aged 31±12 years were included in the study. As a control we used a group of 42 healthy individuals (18 female and 24 male), aged 55±12 years, to whom upper and lower endoscopy was performed at their will or as a screening procedure, but showed no changes. Careful personal history, including dietary habits, physical examination, and anthropometric data were taken from all patients. We studied some factors from the lifestyle and diet in our patients with CRC and CRP, and looked for any connection between these factors and the beginning of CRC and CRP. For the aim of our study, we divided food consumed from the patients into 13 groups as follows: I. Milk and dairy products; II. Eggs; III. Meat and meat products; IV. Fish and sea animals; V. Cereals and pasta; VI. Sugar and sweets; VII. Legumes; VIII. Nuts; IX. Fats; X. Vegetables; XI. Fruits; XII. Spices; XIII. Beverages. We tried to establish the preferred way of cooking and favorite drinks in the studied patients. We registered their dietary habits in qualitative and quantitative manner, until the moment of CRC or CRP occurrence. We analyzed family predisposition of the included patients and their exposition to deleterious exogenous factors. All information, including clinical data, endoscopic and histological results, surveillance, and treatment, was entered on personal cards and in a gastrointestinal register for polyps and cancer.
