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Author(s): Manuela M. Bergmann [sup.1] , Vicent Hernandez [sup.2] , Andrew Hart [sup.3] [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Potsdam, Germany (2) Department [...]

Proinflammatory diets are associated with risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), however, inconsistencies exist in subsite‐ and sex‐specific associations. The relationship between CRC and combined lifestyle‐related factors that contribute toward a low‐grade inflammatory profile has not yet been explored. We examined the association between the dietary inflammatory potential and an inflammatory profile and CRC risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. This cohort included 476,160 participants followed‐up of 14 years and 5,991 incident CRC cases (3,897 colon and 2,094 rectal tumors). Dietary inflammatory potential was estimated using an Inflammatory Score of the Diet (ISD). An Inflammatory Profile Score (IPS) was constructed, incorporating the ISD, physical activity level and abdominal obesity. The associations between the ISD and CRC and IPS and CRC were assessed using multivariable regression models. More proinflammatory diets were related to a higher CRC risk, particularly for colon cancer; hazard ratio (HR) for highest versus lowest ISD quartile was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.27) for CRC, 1.24 (95% CI 1.09–1.41) for colon cancer and 0.99 (95% CI 0.83–1.17) for rectal cancer. Associations were more pronounced in men and not significant in women. The IPS was associated with CRC risk, particularly colon cancer among men; HRs for the highest versus lowest IPS was 1.62 (95% CI 1.31–2.01) for colon cancer overall and 2.11 (95% CI 1.50–2.97) for colon cancer in men. Our study shows that more proinflammatory diets and a more inflammatory profile are associated with higher risk of CRC, principally colon cancer and in men. What's new? Chronic inflammation has been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC), and diet plays an important role in modulating systemic inflammation. Two additional factors that contribute to chronic inflammation and also increase CRC risk are adiposity and lack of physical activity. In this large prospective study, the authors gained further insight into these relationships. They found that pro‐inflammatory diets and a higher Inflammatory Profile Score (IPS, based on diet, physical activity, and abdominal obesity) are strong predictors of CRC, but principally of colon cancer and especially in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In epidemiological studies, measures of body fat generally are obtained through anthropometric indices such as the body mass index (BMI), waist (WC), and hip circumferences (HC). Such indices, however, can only provide estimates of a person’s true body fat content, overall or by adipose compartment, and may have limited accuracy, especially for the visceral adipose compartment (VAT). Objective: To determine the extent to which different body adipose tissue compartments are adequately predicted by anthropometry, and to identify anthropometric measures alone, or in combination to predict overall adiposity and specific adipose tissue compartments, independently of age and body size (height). Methods: In a sub-study of 1,192 participants of the German EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) cohorts, whole-body MRI was performed to determine adipose and muscle tissue compartments. Additional anthropometric measurements of BMI, WC and HC were taken. Results: After adjusting for age and height, BMI, WC and HC were better predictors of total body volume (TBV), total adipose tissue (TAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) than for VAT, coronary adipose tissue (CAT) and skeletal muscle tissue (SMT). In both sexes, BMI was the best predictor for TBV (men: r = 0.72 [0.68–0.76], women: r = 0.80 [0.77–0.83]) and SMT (men: r = 0.52 [0.45–0.57], women: r = 0.48 [0.41–0.54]). WC was the best predictor variable for TAT (r = 0.48 [0.41–0.54]), VAT (r = 0.44 [0.37–0.50]) and CAT (r = 0.34 [0.26–0.41]) (men), and for VAT (r = 0.42 [0.35–0.49]) and CAT (r = 0.29 [0.22–0.37]) (women). BMI was the best predictor for TAT (r = 0.49 [0.43–0.55]) (women). HC was the best predictor for SAT (men (r = 0.39 [0.32–0.45]) and women (r = 0.52 [0.46–0.58])). Conclusions: Especially the volumes of internal body fat compartments are poorly predicted by anthropometry. A possible implication may be that associations of chronic disease risks with the sizes of internal body fat as measured by BMI, WC and HC may be strongly underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence regarding the association of dietary exposures with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk is not consistent with a few exceptions. Therefore, we conducted a diet-wide association study (DWAS) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) to evaluate the associations between several dietary exposures with CRC risk. The association of 92 food and nutrient intakes with CRC risk was assessed in 386,792 participants, 5069 of whom developed incident CRC. Correction for multiple comparisons was performed using the false discovery rate, and emerging associations were examined in the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS). Multiplicative gene-nutrient interactions were also tested in EPIC based on known CRC-associated loci. In EPIC, alcohol, liquor/spirits, wine, beer/cider, soft drinks, and pork were positively associated with CRC, whereas milk, cheese, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, beta carotene, fruit, fiber, nonwhite bread, banana, and total protein intakes were inversely associated. Of these 20 associations, 13 were replicated in the NLCS, for which a meta-analysis was performed, namely alcohol (summary hazard ratio [HR] per 1-SD increment in intake: 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.09), liquor/spirits (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.06), wine (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.07), beer/cider (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04–1.08), milk (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93–0.98), cheese (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94–0.99), calcium (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90–0.95), phosphorus (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90–0.95), magnesium (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92–0.98), potassium (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94–0.99), riboflavin (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92–0.97), beta carotene (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.98), and total protein (HR per 1-SD increment in intake, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92–0.97). None of the gene-nutrient interactions were significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Our findings confirm a positive association for alcohol and an inverse association for dairy products and calcium with CRC risk, and also suggest a lower risk at higher dietary intakes of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, beta carotene, and total protein. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prospective studies have consistently reported lower colorectal cancer risks associated with higher intakes of total dairy products, total milk and dietary calcium. However, less is known about whether the inverse associations vary for individual dairy products with differing fat contents. Materials and Methods: In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), we investigated the associations between intakes of total milk and milk subtypes (whole-fat, semi-skimmed and skimmed), yoghurt, cheese, and dietary calcium with colorectal cancer risk amongst 477,122 men and women. Dietary questionnaires were administered at baseline. Multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for relevant confounding variables. Results: During the mean 11 years of follow-up, 4,513 incident cases of colorectal cancer occurred. After multivariable adjustments, total milk consumption was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk (HR per 200 g/day 0.93, 95% CI: 0.89–0.98). Similar inverse associations were observed for whole-fat (HR per 200 g/day 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82–0.99) and skimmed milk (HR per 200 g/day 0.90, 95% CI: 0.79–1.02) in the multivariable models. Inverse associations were observed for cheese and yoghurt in the categorical models; although in the linear models, these associations were non-significant. Dietary calcium was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk (HR per 200 mg/day 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91–0.99); this association was limited to dairy sources of calcium only (HR per 200 mg/day 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91–0.99), with no association observed for non-dairy calcium sources (HR per 200 mg/day 1.00, 95% CI: 0.81–1.24). Conclusions: Our results strengthen the evidence for a possible protective role of dairy products on colorectal cancer risk. The inverse associations we observed did not differ by the fat content of the dairy products considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The evidence that individual dietary and lifestyle factors influence a person's weight and waist circumference is well established; however their combined impact is less well documented. Therefore, we investigated the combined effect of physical activity, nutrition and smoking status on prospective gain in body weight and waist circumference. Methods: We used data of the prospective EPIC-PANACEA study. Between 1992 and 2000, 325,537 participants (94,445 men and 231,092 women, aged between 25-70) were recruited from nine European countries. Participants were categorised into two groups (positive or negative health behaviours) for each of the following being physically active, adherent to a healthy (Mediterranean not including alcohol) diet, and never-smoking for a total score ranging from zero to three. Anthropometric measures were taken at baseline and were mainly self-reported after a medium follow-up time of 5 years. Results: Mixed-effects linear regression models adjusted for age, educational level, alcohol consumption, baseline body mass index and follow-up time showed that men and women who reported to be physically active, never-smoking and adherent to the Mediterranean diet gained over a 5-year period 537 (95% CI -706, -368) and 200 (-478, -87) gram less weight and 0.95 (-1.27, -0.639) and 0.99 (-1.29, -0.69) cm less waist circumference, respectively, compared to participants with zero healthy behaviours. Conclusion: The combination of positive health behaviours was associated with significantly lower weight and waist circumference gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article gives an overview of the ethical issues in nutrigenomics research and personalized nutrition. The principles of research ethics, i.e., autonomy, beneficence, nonmalfeasance, and justice, are challenged by rapidly growing cross-border research activities utilizing existing and upcoming biobanks for studies of the interaction of genes with diet on risk of common diseases. We highlight the ethical issues, some unresolved, in international collaborative projects of which researchers should be aware. Personalized nutrition (tailoring diet on the basis of genotype) is one possible application of nutrigenomics research. However, until the scientific evidence concerning diet—gene interactions is much more robust, the provision of personalized dietary advice on the basis of specific genotype remains questionable. From the ethical and social perspective, nutrigenomics offers significant opportunities to improve public health by enhancing understanding of the mechanisms through which diet can be used to reduce the risk of common polygenic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The causes of ulcerative colitis are unknown, although it is plausible that dietary factors are involved. Case-control studies of diet and ulcerative colitis are subject to recall biases. The aim of this study was to examine the prospective relationship between the intake of nutrients and the development of ulcerative colitis in a cohort study. Methods: The study population was 260,686 men and women aged 20–80 years, participating in a large European prospective cohort study (EPIC). Participants were residents in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany or Italy. Information on diet was supplied and the subjects were followed up for the development of ulcerative colitis. Each incident case was matched with four controls and dietary variables were divided into quartiles. Results: A total of 139 subjects with incident ulcerative colitis were identified. No dietary associations were detected, apart from a marginally significant positive association with an increasing percentage intake of energy from total polyunsaturated fatty acids (trend across quartiles OR = 1.19 (95% CI = 0.99–1.43) p = 0.07). Conclusions: No associations between ulcerative colitis and diet were detected, apart from a possible increased risk with a higher total polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. A biological mechanism exists in that polyunsaturated fatty acids are metabolised to pro-inflammatory mediators. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The role of dietary protein in bone health is controversial. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between protein intake, dietary calcium, and bone structure measured by broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA). Methods: Our analysis includes 8,178 female study participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Potsdam Study. Ultrasound bone measurements were performed on the right os calcis, and BUA was determined. Dietary intake was assessed by a standardized food frequency questionnaire. We applied linear regression models to estimate the association between dietary protein and BUA. Results: After multivariate adjustment, high intake of animal protein was associated with decreased BUA values (β = –0.03; p = 0.010) whereas high vegetable protein intake was related to an increased BUA (β = 0.11; p = 0.007). The effect of dietary animal protein on BUA was modified by calcium intake. Conclusion: High consumption of protein from animal origin may be unfavourable, whereas a higher vegetable protein intake may be beneficial for bone health. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that high calcium intake combined with adequate protein intake based on a high ratio of vegetable to animal protein may be protective against osteoporosis. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of food group intake on subsequent 2-y weight change. Food-frequency questionnaire-based food intake data of 17,369 nonsmoking subjects of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam cohort were examined in their relation to a subsequent weight change. Dietary data, collected from 1994 to 1998, were grouped into 24 food groups. Weight change per year follow-up was the outcome of interest; large weight gain was defined as > or =2 kg; small weight gain as > or =1 kg to <2 kg; large weight loss as < or = -2 kg; small weight loss as < or = -1 kg to > -2 kg and weight maintenance as +/- 1 kg. For each food group, a separate polytomous logistic regression model with stable weight as the reference group was constructed, controlling for age, body mass index, previous weight change, and behavioral and lifestyle factors. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated the increase in risk associated with each 100 g/d increment in food group intake. In women, consumption of high energy, high fat food groups significantly predicted large weight gain, e.g., fats (OR = 1.75; 95% CI, 1.01-3.06), sauces (OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.17-3.82) and meat (OR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.04-1.79), and the consumption of cereals predicted large weight loss (OR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.09-1.88). In men, intake of high energy, high sugar foods, i.e., sweets, was significantly predictive of large weight gain (OR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.03-2.13). Our data show that a diet rich in high fat and high energy foods predicts short-term weight gain even if controlled for many potential confounding factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Earlier analyses within the EPIC study showed that dietary fibre intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk, but results from some large cohort studies do not support this finding. We explored whether the association remained after longer follow-up with a near threefold increase in colorectal cancer cases, and if the association varied by gender and tumour location. Methodology/Principal Findings After a mean follow-up of 11.0 years, 4,517 incident cases of colorectal cancer were documented. Total, cereal, fruit, and vegetable fibre intakes were estimated from dietary questionnaires at baseline. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models stratified by age, sex, and centre, and adjusted for total energy intake, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, education, menopausal status, hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptive use, and intakes of alcohol, folate, red and processed meats, and calcium. After multivariable adjustments, total dietary fibre was inversely associated with colorectal cancer (HR per 10 g/day increase in fibre 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79–0.96). Similar linear associations were observed for colon and rectal cancers. The association between total dietary fibre and risk of colorectal cancer risk did not differ by age, sex, or anthropometric, lifestyle, and dietary variables. Fibre from cereals and fibre from fruit and vegetables were similarly associated with colon cancer; but for rectal cancer, the inverse association was only evident for fibre from cereals. Conclusions/Significance: Our results strengthen the evidence for the role of high dietary fibre intake in colorectal cancer prevention.

Abstract: Purpose: Alcohol intake may adversely affect the concentrations of endogenous sex hormones, and thus increase the risk of endometrial cancer. However, epidemiologic studies have provided conflicting results. Therefore, we investigated the association between alcohol intake and endometrial cancer risk a large, multicenter, prospective study. Methods: From 1992 through 2010, 301,051 women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort were followed for incident endometrial cancer (n = 1382). Baseline alcohol consumption was assessed by country-specific, validated dietary questionnaires. Information on past alcohol consumption was collected by lifestyle questionnaires. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from Cox proportional hazard models. Results: The multivariable HRs (and 95% CIs) compared with light drinkers (0.1–6 g/d) were 1.03 (0.88–1.20) for 0 g of alcohol per day at baseline, 1.01 (0.86–1.17) for 6.1–12 g/d, 1.03 (0.87–1.22) for 12.1–24 g/d, 1.07 (0.87–1.38) for 24.1–36 g/d, and 0.85 (0.61–1.18) for more than 36 g/d (p trend = 0.77). No association was observed among former drinkers (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.98–1.68 compared with light drinkers). Null associations were also found between alcohol consumption at age 20 years, lifetime pattern of alcohol drinking, and baseline alcohol intake from specific alcoholic beverages and endometrial cancer risk. Conclusions: Our findings suggest no association between alcohol intake and endometrial cancer risk. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]