Background:
Although it is well admitted that alcohol displays a U‐shaped relationship with atherosclerotic vascular disease, individual relationships between alcohol and atherosclerosis risk factors ...may be different and have not been determined precisely for several of them.
Methods:
A cross‐sectional study within the SU.VI.MAX French cohort study was performed to assess the curve of potential relationships between alcohol and atherosclerosis risk factors in 2126 healthy men. Mean daily alcohol intake was derived from 37 alcoholic beverages in twelve 24‐hr dietary recalls. Logistic models were adjusted for age.
Results:
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), fasting glucose, body mass index, waist‐to‐hip ratio, and waist circumference displayed a linear relationship with alcohol. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals associated with abnormal values of the markers for the highest quintile of alcohol intake were 1.45 (1.06–1.97) for ApoB, 1.98 (1.40–2.80) for fasting glucose, and 1.74 (1.30–2.34) for body mass index. An inverse J‐shaped relationship was assumed for ApoA1 and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio, whereas a U‐shaped relationship was observed for serum triglycerides and mixed hyperlipidemia. Only the highest quintile of alcohol was associated with hypertension, although the test for linearity was also significant. No association was observed for Lp(a) or homocysteine. Associations were unmodified by further adjustment for carbohydrates, fiber, lipids, tobacco, or exercise.
Conclusions:
The aggregate of the disparate alcohol risk factor relationships suggests probable net benefit at 15 to 25 g of alcohol/day.
To examine the consequences of single iron depletion on health in menstruating women, a common but rarely investigated situation in industrialized countries.
We studied data issued from the ...SU.VI.MAX. cohort via a transversal and a longitudinal (2-y follow-up) approach.
Iron-depleted menstruating women (ferritin &<15 micro g/l, n=472) were compared with iron-sufficient (ferritin 30-80 micro g/l, n=393) menstruating women (aged 35-51 y) in terms of health variables and quality of life (DUKE score) using logistic regression and analysis of variance.
The risk of any infection or of specific types of infections was not increased by iron deficiency. Regarding the DUKE health profile, no specific score was significantly different between the two groups: only the scores reflecting 'physical health' (P=0.09) and 'perceived health' (P=0.12) showed a trend toward a lower level, while the best score for 'mental health' (P=0.11) was found in the group of iron-depleted women. The only significant difference between iron-depleted and iron-sufficient women concerned memory disorders, which were significantly less common in iron-depleted women, Odds ratio=0.7 (0.6-0.9; P=0.03).
There is no conclusive evidence that an absence of iron stores has negative consequences; however, we must consider that in the case of a worsening of the iron balance, it may lead to a rapid decrease in the level of functional compounds.
The laboratory Robapharm, Pierre Fabre, France.
Epidemiological studies performed during the last 20 years support an inverse relationship between the individual intake of fruits and vegetables and the risk of cancer. In taking into account some ...recent conflicting data, a working group of the Nacre network, the French Network for Food and Cancer Research, has conduced a critical analysis of epidemiological and experimental studies, including the preliminary data from the Epic cohort, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, to clarify the role of fruits and vegetables to prevent cancer. To date, a high intake of fruits and vegetables (at least, 400 g per day) is appropriate to lower the risk of cancer. Fruits and vegetables provide numerous phytochemicals which, in part, may explain their beneficial effect. Thus, studies in animal models and in cell-culture systems have furnished a lot of information about the potential mechanism by which a diet high in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer in humans. However, more investigation in the identification of the biologically active constituents, in the knowledge of their availability and the mechanism by which they contribute to lower the risk of cancer, will increase the scientific support of a public health policy.
While a relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular risk factors is well established, data suggest that the type of alcoholic beverage could modulate this relationship.
To determine whether ...drinking patterns modulate the relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular risk factors.
We tested the relationship between preference of alcoholic beverages and atherosclerotic risk factors in a cross-sectional study of 2,126 men. A hierarchical clustering method determined six drinking patterns, 'low drinkers', 'high quality wines', 'beer and cider', 'digestives', 'local wines', and 'table wines', according to the preferential intake of alcoholic beverages. Logistic models estimated the relative risk of abnormal markers in the drinking patterns compared with low drinkers. Unadjusted estimates investigated the relationship with the cluster as a group, while adjustment on alcohol, nutritional and socio-demographic factors investigated the relationship with the preference of alcoholic beverage in itself.
Abstainers had high total plasma homocysteine (tHcy), even after full adjustment (odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 2.8). Drinkers of high quality wine had low lipoprotein( a), high tHcy and high body mass index; beer and cider drinkers had high tHcy and waist circumference. Drinkers of digestives had high triacylglycerol; after adjustment they were at risk of low apolipoprotein A-I (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.2, 7.3), and high tHcy (OR = 4.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 33.3). Local wines drinkers were similar to low drinkers. Table wine drinkers had high apolipoprotein B, high triacylglycerol, and high waist-to-hip ratio.
Our data suggest that preference of alcoholic beverage could indicate groups at specific risks of atherosclerotic disease.
Foods associated with precancerous colorectal adenoma, especially those associated with large adenomas, are poorly understood. We compared food intake in polyp-free controls (n = 427) with small ...adenoma (n = 154) or large adenoma (n = 208) cases in Burgundy (France). Logistic regression models controlled for age, gender, and energy. Consumption of lean meat was associated with a reduced risk of small adenomas odds ratio (OR) for 4th vs. 1st quartile = 0.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.2-0.6 and large adenomas (OR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.3-0.7) compared with controls. There was an increased risk with pâtés and meat spread OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1-3.7 (small adenomas) and OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.5-4.4 (large adenomas), bread OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.1-3.6 (small adenomas) and OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.3-3.7 (large adenomas), and pasta (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 0.9-3.0 in small adenomas only). Animal fats were associated with an increased risk of large adenomas compared with small adenomas (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1-5.0), whereas yogurt intake was associated with a lower risk (OR for high vs. no intake = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3-0.9). These findings suggest that some risk factors that have been found to be associated with cancer, such as refined cereal products and high-fat animal products, also influence early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis.
Background and objectives: Few studies have investigatedthe association between whole-grain intake and colorectal cancer.Whole-grain products are one of the dietary items proneto measurement errors, ...making the use of objective measures,such as biomarkers, highly relevant. The objective of the studywas to investigate the association between biomarkers ofwhole-grain intake, alkylresorcinols, and colorectal cancer ina nested case-control study within the European ProspectiveInvestigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: We included 1372 first incident colorectal cancercases and 1372 individually matched controls and calculatedthe incidence rate ratios (IRR) for overall and sub-sites of colorectalcancer using conditional logistic regression adjusted forpotential confounders.Results: Plasma total alkylresorcinol concentrations werenot associated with risk of overall colorectal cancer, proximalcolon cancer or rectal cancer. However, high plasma total alkylresorcinolconcentrations were statistically significantly associatedwith lower incidence of cancer located in the distal (leftor descending) part of the colon. Adjusted IRR of distal coloncancer for highest versus lowest quartile of plasma alkylresorcinolwas 0.48 (95% confidence interval = 0.28 to 0.83). Furthermore,we observed an inverse association with colon cancerfor the Scandinavian part of the participants. Alkylresorcinolsmay be more appropriate as biomarkers in Middle Europe andScandinavia i.e. in areas where whole grains are regularly consumed.Conclusions: Whole-grain intake, assessed by alkylresorcinols,was associated with a lower incidence of distal coloncancer. Alkylresorcinols seem useful as objective biomarkersof whole-grain intake in populations where whole-grains are astaple part of the diet. Acknowledgements: This work was supportedby World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF)and WCRF Netherlands (WCRF NL) (2011/436), and NordForsk(Centre of Excellence programme HELGA (070015)).
Background:
Although several studies have investigated the association of the Mediterranean diet with overall mortality or risk of specific cancers, data on overall cancer risk are sparse.
Methods:
...We examined the association between adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern and overall cancer risk using data from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and nutrition, a multi-centre prospective cohort study including 142 605 men and 335 873. Adherence to Mediterranean diet was examined using a score (range: 0–9) considering the combined intake of fruits and nuts, vegetables, legumes, cereals, lipids, fish, dairy products, meat products, and alcohol. Association with cancer incidence was assessed through Cox regression modelling, controlling for potential confounders.
Results:
In all, 9669 incident cancers in men and 21 062 in women were identified. A lower overall cancer risk was found among individuals with greater adherence to Mediterranean diet (hazard ratio=0.96, 95% CI 0.95–0.98) for a two-point increment of the Mediterranean diet score. The apparent inverse association was stronger for smoking-related cancers than for cancers not known to be related to tobacco (P (heterogeneity)=0.008). In all, 4.7% of cancers among men and 2.4% in women would be avoided in this population if study subjects had a greater adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern.
Conclusion:
Greater adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern could reduce overall cancer risk.
In order to identify biomarkers of colorectal tumors, 20 subjects with colorectal adenomas were compared with 20 controls as regards fecal parameters (pH, short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and ...sterols), blood parameters (bile acids, cholesterol, triglycerides, glycemia and insulinemia), and rectal cell proliferation. Variables were compared by unconditional logistic regression, controlling for gender. There were significant and positive associations between risk of adenoma and total fecal primary bile acids and serum cholesterol, with odds ratios for the third versus first tertile = 9.4 (P for trend = 0.03) and 8.6 (P for trend = 0.04), respectively. There was a trend towards an increased triglycerides level in adenoma subjects compared with controls (P = 0.08). These three parameters correlated with cell proliferation, although cell proliferation itself was not significantly associated with adenomas. In conclusion, these results suggest that fecal primary bile acids and serum cholesterol are markers of early events of colorectal carcinogenesis.
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