Associations between breast cancer,plasma triglycerides,and cholesterol

A case‐control study investigating the association between plasma lipids and breast cancer was conducted among women aged 30–80 in Buffalo, NY. All eligible women from a large breast clinic and two area physicians’ offices were requested to participate over a one‐year period. Subjects completed a health questionnaire and donated a fasting blood sample prior to diagnostic breast biopsies. The 83 women found to have breast cancer (cases) had significantly higher plasma triglyceride values than did the 113 women found not to have breast cancer (controls). Lower plasma β‐carotene values were associated with breast cancer, but only in those women with elevated triglyceride or cholesterol. Plasma cholesterol values were lower in those breast cancer cases presenting with more advanced stages of cancer, suggesting that metabolic effects of clinical and preclinical breast cancer may lower cholesterol levels. Although the limitations of case‐control studies are well‐recognized, these data suggest an etiologic role for plasma triglycerides and β‐carotene or for related dietary factors.     

Associations between breast cancer risk factors and religious practices in Utah

BACKGROUND: Utah has the lowest female malignant breast cancer incidence rates in the United States, due in part to low rates among women who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon). Several established reproductive and non-reproductive breast cancer risk factors may be lower among LDS women because of their religious doctrine related to marriage, family, and health. This paper investigates the association between selected breast cancer risk factors and religious preference and religiosity in Utah. METHODS: A 37-item anonymous cross-sectional telephone survey was developed and conducted during March and April 2002. Results are based on 848 non-Hispanic white female respondents. RESULTS: Number of births (parity), prevalence of breastfeeding, and lifetime total duration of breastfeeding were highest among LDS women who attended church weekly. Average months of breastfeeding per child were greatest among weekly church attendees, regardless of religious preference. Oral contraceptive use and total duration of hormone replacement therapy use were greatest for individuals of any religion attending church less than weekly and for individuals with no religious preference. Comparisons of divergent reproductive behaviors between LDS and non-LDS, and between weekly and less than weekly church goers, provide strong support for the relatively low breast cancer incidence rates previously identified among LDS and, therefore, in Utah. CONCLUSIONS: High parity and breastfeeding coincide with comparatively low breast cancer incidence rates among LDS and are consistent with recent findings of the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer, showing the primary role parity and breastfeeding play in reducing breast cancer.     

The association of total cholesterol, triglycerides and plasma lipoprotein cholesterol levels in first degree relatives and spouse pairs.

HDL, VLDL, and LDL cholesterol as well as total cholesterol were measured in young adult offspring of Framingham Heart Study participants. Parental total cholesterol levels measured in the early 1950s were found to be significant predictors of present total cholesterol in the offspring. While both maternal and paternal cholesterol levels made an independent contribution to the prediction of the offspring's cholesterol, the mother's contribution was significantly greater than the father's for male offspring with a similar but less striking relationship for female offspring. The correlation for LDL cholesterol levels for siblings was higher than for HDL cholesterol or log VLDL choles terol. When adjustments were made for age, body weight, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking, slight reductions in the correlations were noted, but all adjusted correlations remained significantly different from zero. The spouse correlations for lipoproteins, however, did not differ from zero after adujustment. Since the significant association for lipoproteins in spouse pairs disappears on adjustment for correlates but the association for siblings does not, it is likely that the sibling lipoprotein associations result from either genetic or environmental factors shared early in life.     

Associations between breast cancer risk and the catalase genotype, fruit and vegetable consumption, and supplement use

Observed weak or null associations between fruit and vegetable intake and breast cancer risk could be due to heterogeneity in endogenous antioxidant capabilities. The authors evaluated potential relations between a functional polymorphism in catalase, an antioxidant enzyme, and breast cancer risk, particularly in relation to fruit and vegetable intake and supplement use. Women (1,008 cases and 1,056 controls) in the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (1996-1997) were interviewed, completed a food frequency questionnaire, and provided blood for genotyping. The high-activity catalase CC genotype was associated with an overall 17% reduction in risk of breast cancer compared with having at least one variant T allele (odds ratio = 0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.69, 1.00). Vegetable and, particularly, fruit consumption contributed to the decreased risk associated with the catalase CC genotype. Associations were more pronounced among women who did not use vitamin supplements, with a significant multiplicative interaction (p(interaction) = 0.02) for the CC genotype and high fruit intake (odds ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.38, 0.89), and there was no association among supplement users. These results indicate the importance of diet, rather than supplement use, in concert with endogenous antioxidant capabilities, in the reduction of breast cancer risk. CC genotypes were prevalent in approximately 64% of controls; thus, the preventive potential for fruit consumption has widespread implications.     

Effects of a stanol-enriched diet on plasma cholesterol and triglycerides in patients treated with statins

BACKGROUND: Plant stanols have been recommended in combination with individualized dietary interventions to reduce plasma cholesterol concentrations. It is unclear whether plant stanols in combination with dietary guidance in patients already using optimal doses of statins will further reduce fasting and postprandial lipids compared with standard care. STUDY DESIGN: This single-blind, randomized study investigated the effect of plant stanols in margarines, combined with a lipid-lowering dietary intervention, in patients already on lipid-lowering medications at maximal doses not reaching their target lipid levels. Nutrition education was based on the stages of change theory. The control group (which served as the standard care control group) was also taking optimal doses of statins. This group received a margarine without plant stanols and a leaflet with Dutch nutrition guidelines. Fasting lipids were measured once in venous samples and postprandial lipemia was assessed by self-measured triglycerides in an outpatient setting. All subjects were given a capillary triglyceride measuring device (Accutrend GCT, Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) and were instructed to measure their capillary triglycerides at six fixed time-points throughout the day on three different days. The mean area under the triglyceride curve represented total daylong triglyceridemia, which has been shown to reflect postprandial triglyceridemia. Twenty patients were included, 11 in the intervention group and 9 in the control group. RESULTS: In the plant stanol group, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly by 15.6% compared with a reduction of only 7.7% in the control group. The daylong triglyceridemia was similar in both groups at the beginning and at the end of the study, and no change was observed by the intervention. CONCLUSION: Intensive dietary intervention with addition of plant stanols results in clinically relevant reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients optimally treated with statins, compared with similar patients on statins receiving only standard care. The use of a plant stanol-enriched margarine did not decrease postprandial triglyceridemia in these patients.     

Grape polyphenols decrease plasma triglycerides and cholesterol accumulation in the aorta of ovariectomized guinea pigs

Female ovariectomized guinea pigs, a model for menopausal women, were fed either a control diet or a diet containing 10 g/100 g of a lyophilized grape preparation for 12 wk. The macronutrient composition of the grape preparation was: simple carbohydrates, 90 g/100 g; protein, 4 g/100 g; and dietary fiber, 6 g/100 g. Control and grape diets had the same composition except for the percentage of macronutrients provided by the grape preparation. Polyphenols were present in the grape preparation at 0.58 g/100 g and included flavans, anthocyanins, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol and resveratrol. Dietary cholesterol was 0.33 g/100 g to raise plasma cholesterol concentrations and ensure the development of atherosclerosis. Plasma LDL cholesterol concentrations did not differ between groups, whereas plasma triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol were 39 and 50% lower, respectively in guinea pigs fed the grape diet compared with controls (P < 0.05). Significant modifications in LDL particles included 58 and 30% lower triglycerides and phospholipids, respectively (P < 0.0001). Hepatic acyl CoA:cholesteryl acyltransferase activity was 27% lower (P < 0.05) in the grape diet-fed group compared with controls. In addition, concentrations of cholesterol in the aorta were 33% lower (P < 0.05) in guinea pigs fed the grape diet. These results suggest that grape intake in ovariectomized guinea pigs alters hepatic cholesterol metabolism, which may affect VLDL secretion rates and result in less accumulation of cholesterol in the aorta.     

The Troms? Heart Study: food habits, serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides

Associations between food habits and total serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and serum triglycerides were examined in 7,410 men and 7,257 women in Troms?, Norway, following a screening in 1979-1980. High body mass index was associated with high serum cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. Positive associations were observed between high serum cholesterol and high coffee consumption, use of butter or hard margarine, not selecting low-fat milk, and low bread consumption. The HDL cholesterol level was virtually independent of the dietary items recorded. Use of low-fat milk and frequent use of fish dishes for dinner seemed to be related to low serum triglyceride levels.     

Associations between dietary intakes and blood cholesterol concentrations at 31 months

OBJECTIVE: The initial stages of atherosclerosis have been shown to occur in children as young as 3. Elevated total and LDL cholesterol concentrations and low HDL concentrations are a well-established risk factor for atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the dietary determinants of blood lipid concentrations at 31 months of age. SUBJECTS: A randomly selected group of children (214 boys, 175 girls) in south-west England forming part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC) cohort. DESIGN: Three-day dietary records were obtained at 18 months. At 31 months a non-fasting blood sample was taken and analysed for total and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride, and measures of height and weight were taken. RESULTS: Among boys, total cholesterol concentrations were positively associated with the intake of total fat (r=0.209, P=0.002) and saturated fatty acids (r=0.211, P=0.002). Among girls, HDLC was positively associated with energy intake (r=0.204, P=0.018), and negatively associated with intakes of polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat and sugar in multivariate analysis. There were no associations between the intakes of non-starch polysaccharides (fibre) or dietary cholesterol and total or HDL cholesterol concentrations in either sex. Among boys, higher intakes of breakfast cereals were associated with lower total cholesterol (r=-0.187, P=0.008). Among girls, higher intakes of biscuits and meat and meat products were associated with higher HDLC concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the dietary determinants of blood lipid concentrations differ between boys and girls. Reducing saturated fat intake in boys would be likely to lead to an improvement in blood lipid profiles. In this study there is no evidence to suggest that an increase in the intake of polyunsaturated fat by pre-school children would result in improved blood lipid profiles.     

端粒长度与癌症、衰老及膳食因素的相关性研究进展

目的综述人群中端粒长度与癌症、衰老相关疾病和膳食因素的相关性。方法通过"端粒长度"、"癌症"、"衰老"、"膳食因素"等中文关键词及对应的英文关键词在CNKI、pubmed等数据库中进行文献检索,筛选高质量的流行病学研究。结果端粒长度与人群癌症发病风险及死亡风险相关,与某些癌症发病风险之间可能存在U型关联;较短的端粒与心脑血管疾病的高发病风险及多种衰老相关疾病的不良预后相关;膳食因素中单一食物组分与人群中端粒长度的关系存在争议,尚需要前瞻性研究进一步探讨。结论端粒长度具有作为多种疾病临床治疗预后生物标志物的应用潜能;前瞻性队列随访研究有助于发现膳食因素与端粒长度之间的因果关系。     

Effects of a progestogen and a sequential type oral contraceptive on plasma vitamin A, vitamin E, cholesterol and triglycerides.

Fasting blood samples were taken from 13 college students who had never been on oral contraceptives in two menstrual cycles. During the first cycle, the control cycle, each girl donated three blood samples; the first sample was given between days 1 and 5, the second sample between days 13 and 17, and the third sample between days 22 and 26 of the menstrual cycle. In the second menstrual cycle, the experimental cycle, nine girls were given Micronor, a progestogen type oral contraceptive and four girls were given Ortho-Novum SQ, a sequential type oral contraceptive. Four blood samples were obtained from each of the subjects: the first three samples were obtained in the three periods corresponding to those in the control cycle, and the fourth was taken 2 days after the subjects had stopped taking the oral contraceptive. Results showed that estrogen significantly raised plasma vitamin A and triglycerides. The progestogen, at low concentration, had little or no effect on these two lipid materials. At a higher concentration the progestogen enhanced the effect of the estrogen on plasma vitamin A and triglycerides. These effects were extended to at least 2 days after subjects had ceased taking the oral contraceptive. Plasma vitamin E levels in the subjects given Ortho-Novum SQ, were consistently but not statistically higher in the experimental cycle than in the control cycle. The correlation coefficient between vitamin E and triglycerides was statistically significant while those between the vitamin A and vitamin E and between vitamin A and triglycerides were not. Cholesterol was not affected by either Micronor or Ortho-Novum SQ.     

Secular trends in serum cholesterol, high density lipoproteins and triglycerides 1964-1987

Total mortality from cardiovascular disease in Denmark has decreased over the last 20 years for women and the last ten years for men. The possible role of simultaneous changes in serum total cholesterol has been investigated. Secular trends in serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides, 1964-1987, are presented on the basis of four studies of 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-year-old men and women, some 8737 subjects in all. A significant decrease of 1% per year in total serum cholesterol (p less than 0.05) in both sexes and in all age groups up to 1982 was detected followed by a subsequent stabilization, 1982-1987. The decrease is not a result of methodological bias. The impact of storage at -20 degrees C for 13-24 months compared to immediate analysis of sera was studied as well as differences in analysis methods over time. The fall in population cholesterol levels might be associated with changes in polyunsaturated/saturated fat (P/S) ratio rather than total fat content of the diet, but other lifestyle changes have taken place as well.     

Associations between infectious mononucleosis and cancer: record-linkage studies

SUMMARYInfection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) followed by infectious mononucleosis (IM) is now considered to be a risk factor for Hodgkin's disease (HD). It is less clear whether EBV infection and IM are associated with an increased risk of cancer generally. We used a longstanding record-linkage dataset in Oxford (years 1963-1998), and a more recent record-linkage dataset covering England (1999-2005), to compare rate ratios for cancer between people admitted to hospital for IM and a reference cohort. In the Oxford cohort, there was an increased risk of subsequent HD [rate ratio (RR) 6.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-12.5] but not of other cancers combined (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.57-1.23). In the England cohort, there were increased risks of HD (RR 3.2, 95% CI 1.2-7.0), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (RR 5.6, 95% CI 2.9-9.8), and oropharyngeal cancer (RR 5.4, 95% CI 1.1-16.2), but no significant overall risk of cancer when lymphomas were excluded (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.71-1.41). We confirm an association between IM and lymphoma; but the risk, if any, of cancer more generally is likely to be small.     

Relationship between obesity, total plasma cholesterol and blood pressure in male adults]

I investigated the relationship between the percentage of body fat, Body Mass Index (BMI) and total plasma cholesterol and blood pressure. The percentage of body fat was measured by the bioelectrical impedance method. The subjects investigated were 2,955 men aged from 23 to 59 years, who were working in a company making machinery. They were divided into four groups as follows. The normal group were within the normal BMI range (< 24) and body fat percentage range (< 20%). The seemingly obese group were over the normal BMI (> or = 24) and normal percentage of body fat range. The occult obesity group were within the normal BMI range and over the normal percentage of body fat range (> or = 20%). The obese group were over the BMI and percentage of body fat range. In each group, those who had high total plasma cholesterol and blood pressure were counted. The number of those who had high total plasma cholesterol was significantly larger in the obese group than in the seemingly obese group and the normal group, and larger in the occult obesity group than in the seemingly obese group and normal group and larger in the seemingly obese group than in the normal group. The number of those who had high systolic blood pressure was significantly larger in the obese group than in the occult obesity group, the seemingly obese group and the normal group, larger in the occult obesity group than in the normal group and larger in the seemingly obese group than in the normal group. The number of those who had high diastolic blood pressure was significantly larger in the obese group than in the occult obesity group, and the seemingly obese group and the normal group, larger in the occult obesity group than in the normal group, and larger in the seemingly obese group than in the normal group. These results suggest that measurement of percent body fat is useful in preventing adult diseases in employees with a high percentage of body fat, but who show no sign of abnormality in medical examinations, and those who are considered to be obese according to their BMI or percentage of body fat have a high risk of adult diseases.