Nutritional, immunological and antioxidant defense status of outpatients diagnosed with colorectal cancer - a case-control study of the little-studied population.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate nutritional and immunological status of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in a little-studied population from developing country, Pakistan. Data on 81 CRC patients and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were collected on nutritional status, nutrient intake, percent body fat (%BF), selected immunological parameters, phytochemical index (PI), healthy eating index (HEI), and prognostic nutrition index (PNI). Blood samples were used for immunological and antiradical defense potential (expressed as 50% hemolysis time; HT). Results show 40/81 (49.4%) patients reported weight loss in past 3-6 mo, Significant differences were found in HEI values between patients vs. HCs, and between patients in low vs. high PNI groups (, for all trends <0.05). Patients in the higher PNI group were heavier, had higher % BF, higher energy intake, and higher PI score as compared to patients in the low PNI group ( < 0.05). Low PNI was positively associated with non-significantly lower CD4:CD8 ratios, higher B-cells and NK cells (, for all trends >0.05), but with significantly higher hs-CRP levels, and lower HT values (, for all trends <0.001). In conclusion, CRC patients in a little-studied population have compromised nutritional and immunological health with lower HEI and PNI scores.