The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that alcohol consumption is related to colorectal cancer (CRC). However, several issues remain unresolved, including quantification of ...the association for light (≤1 drink/day) and moderate (2–3 drinks/day) alcohol drinking, investigation of the dose–response relationship, and potential heterogeneity of effects by sex, colorectal site, and geographical region.
Twenty-seven cohort and 34 case–control studies presenting results for at least three categories of alcohol intake were identified from a PubMed search of articles published before May 2010. The summary relative risks (RRs) were estimated by the random effects model. Second-order fractional polynomials and random effects meta-regression models were used for modeling the dose–risk relation.
The RRs were 1.21 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–1.28 for moderate and 1.52 (95% CI 1.27–1.81) for heavy (≥4 drinks/day) alcohol drinking. The RR for moderate drinkers, compared with non-/occasional drinkers, was stronger for men (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.13–1.37) than for women (RR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.03–1.13; Pheterogeneity = 0.02). For heavy drinkers, the association was stronger in Asian studies (RR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.33–2.46; Pheterogeneity = 0.04). The dose–risk analysis estimated RRs of 1.07 (95% CI 1.04–1.10), 1.38 (95% CI 1.28–1.50), and 1.82 (95% CI 1.41–2.35) for 10, 50, and 100 g/day of alcohol, respectively.
This meta-analysis provides strong evidence for an association between alcohol drinking of >1 drink/day and colorectal cancer risk.
Summary
The association of overweight and obesity with premenopausal breast cancer remained unclear, ethnicity could play a role. A MEDLINE and PUBMED search of all studies on obesity and ...premenopausal breast cancer published from 2000 to 2010 was conducted. Dose‐response meta‐analysis was used to determine the risk of premenopausal breast cancer associated with different anthropometric measurements in different ethnic groups. For body mass index (BMI), each 5 kg m−2 increase was inversely associated with the risk of premenopausal breast cancer (RR = 0.95, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.94, 0.97). After stratification by ethnicity, the inverse association remained significant only among Africans (RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.98) and Caucasians (RR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.95). In contrast, among Asian women, a significant positive association was observed. For waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), each 0.1 unit increase was positively associated with premenopausal breast cancer (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.16); the largest effect was detected in Asian women (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.24), while small effects of 5% and 6% were observed in African and Caucasian women, respectively. Our results suggest the importance of considering both fat distribution and ethnicity when studying premenopausal breast cancer.
The aim of the present review was to provide an up-to-date overview of the biological and epidemiological evidence of the role of oxidative stress as a major underlying feature of the toxic effect of ...air pollutants, and the potential role of dietary supplementation in enhancing antioxidant defences. A bibliographic search was conducted through PubMed. The keywords used in the search were "air pollutant", "oxidative stress", "inflammation", "antioxidant polyunsaturated fatty acids" and "genetics". In addition, the authors also searched for biomarkers of oxidative stress and nutrients. The review presents the most recent data on: the biological and epidemiological evidence of the oxidative stress response to air pollutants; the role of dietary supplementation as a modulator of these effects; and factors of inter-individual variation in human response. The methodology for further epidemiological studies will be discussed in order to improve the current understanding on how nutritional factors may act. There is substantial evidence that air pollution exposure results in increased oxidative stress and that dietary supplementation may play a modulating role on the acute effect of air pollutants. Further epidemiological studies should address the impact of supplementation strategies in the prevention of air-pollution-related long-term effects in areas where people are destined to be exposed for the distant future.
Dietary intake of specific nutrients or food groups during pregnancy could play a role in the risk of asthma and atopy in offspring, but specific dietary patterns have not been implicated. The ...authors evaluated the impact of maternal (during pregnancy) and child adherence to a Mediterranean diet on asthma and atopy in childhood.
Women presenting for antenatal care at all general practices in Menorca, a Mediterranean island in Spain, over a 12 month period starting in mid-1997 were recruited. 460 children were included in the analysis after 6.5 years of follow-up. Maternal dietary intake during pregnancy and children's dietary intake at age 6.5 years were assessed by food frequency questionnaires, and adherence to a Mediterranean diet was evaluated by a priori defined scores. During follow-up, parents completed questionnaires on the child's respiratory and allergic symptoms. Children underwent skin prick tests with six common aeroallergens.
The prevalence rates of persistent wheeze, atopic wheeze and atopy at age 6.5 years were 13.2%, 5.8% and 17.0%, respectively. One-third (36.1%) of mothers had a low quality Mediterranean diet during pregnancy according to the Mediterranean Diet Score, while the rest had a high score. A high Mediterranean Diet Score during pregnancy (at two levels, using "low" score as the reference) was found to be protective for persistent wheeze (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.08 to 0.58), atopic wheeze (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.90) and atopy (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.97) at age 6.5 years after adjusting for potential confounders. Childhood adherence to a Mediterranean diet was negatively associated with persistent wheeze and atopy although the associations did not reach statistical significance.
These results support a protective effect of a high level of adherence to a Mediterranean diet during pregnancy against asthma-like symptoms and atopy in childhood.
The incidence of breast cancer (BC) is rising worldwide, with an increase in aggressive neoplasias in young women. Traditionally, BC in young women has been thought to be etiologically driven, ...primarily by genetic/hereditary factors. However, these factors explain only a small proportion of BCs, pointing to a role of the environment. Suspected factors responsible for this increase include lifestyle changes, notably alcohol consumption, diet with high intake of refined carbohydrates and saturated fat and low intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), fiber and vitamins (such as folate, vitamin D, and carotenoids), low physical activity, and body fatness, all of which may act from childhood and adolescent years through adulthood. Despite limited data on BC in young women, evidence points to the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including high intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, and poultry, low intake of sugar and fat, daily physical activity, low alcohol consumption, steady weight, and breastfeeding in preventing BC in young women. Preventive efforts should begin in early life to provide important benefits much later in life by shifting the long-term trajectory of risk accumulation. Data from Latin America and developing regions are still sparse. There is a need to harmonize studies in a global effort to fight the rise of BC incidence in low- and middle-income countries, where the nutritional transition is occurring rapidly. The stratification of BC by specific tumor characteristics needs to be considered since risk factors may be more particularly associated with the promotion of, or protection from, a defined type of BC.
The EsMaestras study is a prospective cohort study which enrolled female teachers 25 years and older from 12 states of Mexico including urban and rural schools. The main objective of the cohort is to ...evaluate life styles and environmental risk factors related to chronic diseases with major focus on breast and reproductive cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in a society with rapidly changing life styles, increasing sedentarity and westernized diet. The main exposures of interest are dietary intake, physical activity, obesity and environmental exposure in particular endocrine disruptor chemicals as well as gene by environment interaction. The study started in 2006 enrolling teachers from 2 states (Veracruz and Jalisco) in 2008–2009, 10 others states were included. To date the study enrolled close to 116 000 women. Overall the response rate has been 64%, and follow-up at 4 years 71%. Information on sociodemographic, lifestyle, reproductive history, medical history, anthropometry, physical activity and diet is collected through biennial questionnaire. In addition in a subsample of the study population detailed information including mammographic density, bone density, blood pressure, spirometry, impedance and anthropometric measurements, blood and urinary samples as well as more detailed questionnaire on lifestyle. This large cohort with a high variability in lifestyle and fast changing habits will provide very valuable information on risk factors of chronic diseases in female.
There are both limited and conflicting data on the role of dietary fat and specific fatty acids in the development of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we investigated the association between plasma ...phospholipid fatty acids and pancreatic cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. The fatty acid composition was measured by gas chromatography in plasma samples collected at recruitment from375 incident pancreatic cancer cases and375 matched controls. Associations of specific fatty acids with pancreatic cancer risk were evaluated using multivariable conditional logistic regression models with adjustment for established pancreatic cancer risk factors. Statistically significant inverse associations were found between pancreatic cancer incidence and levels of heptadecanoic acid (ORT3‐T1odds ratio for highest versus lowest tertile =0.63; 95%CIconfidence interval = 0.41–0.98; ptrend = 0.036), n‐3 polyunsaturated α‐linolenic acid (ORT3‐T1 = 0.60; 95%CI = 0.39–0.92; ptrend = 0.02) and docosapentaenoic acid (ORT3‐T1 = 0.52; 95%CI = 0.32–0.85; ptrend = 0.008). Industrial trans‐fatty acids were positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk among men (ORT3‐T1 = 3.00; 95%CI = 1.13–7.99; ptrend = 0.029), while conjugated linoleic acids were inversely related to pancreatic cancer among women only (ORT3‐T1 = 0.37; 95%CI = 0.17–0.81; ptrend = 0.008). Among current smokers, the long‐chain n‐6/n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio was positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk (ORT3‐T1 = 3.40; 95%CI = 1.39–8.34; ptrend = 0.007). Results were robust to a range of sensitivity analyses. Our findings suggest that higher circulating levels of saturated fatty acids with an odd number of carbon atoms and n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be related to lower risk of pancreatic cancer. The influence of some fatty acids on the development of pancreatic cancer may be sex‐specific and modulated by smoking.
What's new?
This is the first study exploring the association between fatty acid biomarkers and pancreatic cancer (PC) risk in an epidemiological setting. The findings support previous evidence on the association between dairy products and seed and marine food and the risk of PC. Furthermore, industrial trans fatty acids were positively associated with PC risk among men, while conjugated linoleic acids conferred a significantly reduced risk among women. The long‐chain n‐6/n‐3 PUFA ratio conferred a higher risk of PC among smokers. Using circulating biomarkers may thus be important for identifying the potential fatty acid isomers and their biological effects leading to PC.
Background. Comorbidities occurring concurrently in breast cancer patients can be burdensome, as they may negatively influence time and stage of presentation.Objectives. To describe the comorbid ...health conditions among South African (SA) black women with and without breast cancer and to determine factors associated with advanced-stage presentation of breast cancer.Methods. A population-based case-control study on breast cancer was conducted in black women in Soweto, SA, the SABC (South Africa Breast Cancer) study. Lifestyle information and blood samples were collected from 399 women with histologically confirmed new cases of invasive primary breast cancer, recruited prior to any therapy, and 399 age- and neighbourhood-matched controls without breast cancer. We compared self-reported metabolic diseases, depression, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, HIV status and point-of-care lipid and glucose levels between patients with breast cancer and the control group.Results. In the whole population, the mean (standard deviation) age was 54.6 (12.9) years, the majority (81.2%) of the participants were overweight or obese, 85.3% had abdominal adiposity, 61.3% were hypertensive, 47.1% had impaired fasting plasma glucose, 8.4% had elevated total cholesterol, 74.8% had low high-density lipoprotein and 10.9% were assessed to be depressed. Ninety-one percent of the whole cohort had at least one metabolic disease. In the breast cancer group, 72.2% had one or more metabolic diseases only (HIV-negative and no evidence of depression), compared with 64.7% of the control group. From a multivariate logistic regression adjusted model, higher household socioeconomic status conferred a 19% reduction in the odds of having advanced-stage breast cancer at diagnosis, while hypertension, dyslipidaemia and HIV were not significantly associated with stage at breast cancer diagnosis in the adjusted model.Conclusions. A large proportion of women experience several comorbidities, highlighting the need to address the chronic noncommunicable disease epidemic in SA and to co-ordinate multidisciplinary primary-, secondary- and tertiary-level care in the country’s complex healthcare system for better outcome.
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