Eliminating the Need for Dietary Restrictions When Using a Sensitive Guaiac Fecal Occult Blood Test

When using the peroxidase-sensitive guaiac fecaloccult blood test, Hemoccult Sensa (HOS), dietaryrestrictions are recommended so as to reduce its falsepositivity from ingested peroxidases. As dietary restrictions could reduce compliance for annualretesting, we reexamined their need. HOS was given to944 persons in an endoscopic screening/follow-upprogram. Only the first 403 received instructionsregarding a low peroxidase-containing diet for three daysbefore and during HOS collection. Development wasdelayed 3-14 days after HOS preparation, and there wereno significant differences in duration before HOS development in examinees with or withoutcolorectal neoplasia and having or not having a positivetest. Of the 901 persons without endoscopic evidence ofneoplasia, 377 had received and 524 had not received instructions on dietary restrictions. Their HOSpositivity was 7.2% and 5.5%, respectively (P = 0.26).When using HOS, delaying development by 3-14 days allowsbreakdown of ingested peroxidases, so dietary restrictions are not needed in our population,which has a low red meat intake.