Dairy products, calcium, and prostate cancer risk in the Physicians' Health Study

BACKGROUND: A high calcium intake, mainly from dairy products, may increase prostate cancer risk by lowering concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)], a hormone thought to protect against prostate cancer. The results of epidemiologic studies of this hypothesis are inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between dairy product and calcium intakes and prostate cancer risk in the Physicians' Health Study, a cohort of male US physicians. DESIGN: At baseline, the men answered abbreviated dietary questionnaires. During 11 y of follow-up, we documented 1012 incident cases of prostate cancer among 20885 men. We estimated dairy calcium intake on the basis of consumption of 5 major dairy products and used logistic regression to estimate relative risk. RESULTS: At baseline, men who consumed >600 mg Ca/d from skim milk had lower plasma 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) concentrations than did those consuming < or =150 mg Ca/d [71 compared with 85 pmol/L (30.06 compared with 35.64 pg/mL); P = 0.005]. Compared with men consuming < or =0.5 daily servings of dairy products, those consuming >2.5 servings had a multivariate relative risk of prostate cancer of 1.34 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.71) after adjustment for baseline age, body mass index, smoking, exercise, and randomized treatment assignment in the original placebo-controlled trial. Compared with men consuming < or =150 mg Ca/d from dairy products, men consuming >600 mg/d had a 32% higher risk of prostate cancer (95% CI: 1.08, 1.63). CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that dairy products and calcium are associated with a greater risk of prostate cancer.     

Association of dairy products,lactose, and calcium with the risk of ovarian cancer

Epidemiologic findings have been inconsistent regarding the association of dietary fat, dairy products, and lactose with risk of ovarian cancer. The authors conducted a case-control study in Hawaii and Los Angeles, California, to examine several dietary hypotheses regarding the etiology of ovarian cancer in a population with a broad range of dietary intakes. A total of 558 patients with ovarian cancer diagnosed in 1993-1999 and 607 controls were interviewed regarding their diet. Consumption of all dairy products, all types of milk, and low-fat milk, but not consumption of whole milk, was significantly inversely related to the odds of ovarian cancer. Similar inverse gradients in the odds ratios were obtained for intakes of lactose and calcium, although these nutrients were highly correlated (r = 0.77). The odds ratio for ovarian cancer was 0.46 (95% confidence interval: 0.27, 0.76) among women in the highest quartile of dietary calcium intake versus the lowest (p for trend = 0.0006). The significant dietary association was limited to dairy sources of calcium (p for trend = 0.003), although a nonsignificant inverse gradient in risk was also found in relation to calcium supplement intake. These results suggest that intake of low-fat milk, calcium, or lactose may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.     

High-fat dairy food and conjugated linoleic acid intakes in relation to colorectal cancer incidence in the Swedish Mammography Cohort

BACKGROUND: High-fat dairy foods contain many potentially anticarcinogenic factors, including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). However, few epidemiologic studies have specifically evaluated high-fat dairy food consumption, and none have evaluated CLA intake, in relation to colorectal cancer risk. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the associations of long-term high-fat dairy food consumption and CLA intake and the incidence of colorectal cancer. DESIGN: Our study population consisted of 60 708 women aged 40-76 y who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. The women's consumption of high-fat dairy foods was assessed at baseline, which was from 1987 to 1990, and again in 1997. RESULTS: We ascertained 798 incident cases of colorectal cancer during an average 14.8 y of follow-up. After adjustment for age and other potential confounders, the women who consumed > or =4 servings of high-fat dairy foods/d (including whole milk, full-fat cultured milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, and butter) had a multivariate rate ratio of colorectal cancer of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.79; P for trend = 0.002) when compared with the women who consumed <1 serving/d. Each increment of 2 servings of high-fat dairy foods/d corresponded to a 13% reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer (multivariate rate ratio: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.96). For CLA, the multivariate rate ratio of colorectal cancer in a comparison of the 2 extreme quartiles of intake was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.91; P for trend = 0.004). CONCLUSION: These prospective data suggest that high intakes of high-fat dairy foods and CLA may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.     

The nutritional impact of dairy product consumption on dietary intakes of adults (1995-1996): the Bogalusa Heart Study

OBJECTIVE: To examine the nutritional impact of dairy product consumption on the dietary intakes of adults. DESIGN: Dietary intakes of adults who participated in a cross-sectional survey (1995-1996) in Bogalusa, LA. SUBJECTS: Dietary intake data were collected on 1,266 adults (61% women, 39% men; 74% white, 26% African American) in Bogalusa, LA. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Analysis of covariance was used to examine the mean nutrient intake differences among four dairy consumption groups. Significance tests in multiple comparisons between any two groups were conducted using Tukey's procedure. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of adults consumed one serving or less of dairy products, 32% consumed two servings, 12% consumed three servings, and 8% consumed four or more servings. Overall mean intake of dairy was higher in whites (mean=1.63) compared with African Americans (mean=1.22) (P<.0001), especially the consumption of milk and cheese. No differences were found in overall mean intake of dairy servings by sex after adjusting for energy intake. However, women consumed significantly more servings of cheese (P<.0001) and yogurt (P<.01) than men. There were higher intakes of total energy, saturated fat, total protein, animal protein, and lactose (P<.0001), with greater number of servings of dairy products consumed. There were lower intakes of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (P<.0001), vegetable protein (P<.0001), total carbohydrates (P<.01), sucrose (P<.001), fructose (P<.0001), and fiber (P<.001). The percentage of energy from saturated fat (P<.0001) and protein (P<.001) increased with increasing number of dairy servings consumed. Intakes of calcium; magnesium; potassium; zinc; sodium; folate; thiamin; riboflavin; and vitamins B-6, B-12, A, D, and E were higher with greater number of dairy servings consumed. There was lower consumption of sweetened beverages (P<.001), specifically regular soft drinks (P<.0001), with greater consumption of milk products. CONCLUSIONS: Dairy product consumption by adults has a major influence on their vitamin and mineral intakes. The higher intakes of saturated fat, total energy, and animal protein and lower intake of fiber suggest that it may be useful to consume lower-fat dairy products and/or modify eating patterns to optimize the nutritional contributions of dairy products. Public health organizations and dietetics professionals need to educate adults on practical strategies for increasing dairy product consumption for improving the nutritional quality of adults' diets.     

Cultured milk, yogurt, and dairy intake in relation to bladder cancer risk in a prospective study of Swedish women and men

BACKGROUND: Findings from epidemiologic studies of the effect of dairy foods (mainly milk) on the risk of bladder cancer have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the association between the intake of cultured milk and other dairy foods and the incidence of bladder cancer in a prospective, population-based cohort. DESIGN: We prospectively followed 82,002 Swedish women and men who were cancer-free and who completed a 96-item food-frequency questionnaire in 1997. Incident cases of bladder cancer were identified in the Swedish cancer registries. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 9.4 y, 485 participants (76 women and 409 men) were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Total dairy intake was not significantly associated with risk of bladder cancer [> or =7.0 servings/d compared with < 3.5 servings/d: multivariate rate ratio (RR) = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.15; P for trend = 0.33]. However, a statistically significant inverse association was observed for the intake of cultured milk (sour milk and yogurt). The multivariate RRs for the highest category of cultured milk intake (> or =2 servings/d) compared with the lowest category (0 serving/d) were 0.62 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.85; P for trend = 0.006) in women and men combined, 0.55 (95% CI: 0.25, 1.22; P for trend = 0.06) in women, and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.89; P for trend = 0.03) in men. The intake of milk or cheese was not associated with bladder cancer risk. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a high intake of cultured milk may lower the risk of developing bladder cancer.     

Relationship between calcium, lactose, vitamin D, and dairy products and ovarian cancer

Few prospective studies of the relationship between intake of dairy foods, calcium, vitamin D, and lactose and ovarian cancer have been conducted, and results have been largely inconsistent. Two recent studies found significant increased risk with frequent dairy consumption and perhaps with high intakes of calcium or lactose. The authors investigated the association between these foods and nutrients and ovarian cancer risk among 31,925 subjects in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project follow-up cohort. Multivariable (MV) relative risks (RRs) adjusted for age, parity, and other factors were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Over an average follow-up of 8.3 yr, 146 incident ovarian cancer cases were confirmed. Higher intakes of total dairy food (comparing four or more servings per day vs. less than one serving per day) were associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of ovarian cancer, although the trend was not significant (MV RR = 0.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.20-0.89; P for trend = 0.07). Comparing extreme quartiles, we observed a statistically nonsignificant inverse association between high dietary calcium intake and ovarian cancer (RR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.43, 1.04; P for trend = 0.08). No statistically significant relations were found for consumption of specific dairy foods, lactose, or vitamin D and ovarian cancer risk. The possibility of a decreased risk of ovarian cancer for dietary calcium merits further evaluation.     

Meat and dairy food consumption and breast cancer: a pooled analysis of cohort studies

BACKGROUND: More than 20 studies have investigated the relation between meat and dairy food consumption and breast cancer risk with conflicting results. Our objective was to evaluate the risk of breast cancer associated with meat and dairy food consumption and to assess whether non-dietary risk factors modify the relation. METHODS: We combined the primary data from eight prospective cohort studies from North America and Western Europe with at least 200 incident breast cancer cases, assessment of usual food and nutrient intakes, and a validation study of the dietary assessment instrument. The pooled database included 351,041 women, 7379 of whom were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during up to 15 years of follow-up. RESULTS: We found no significant association between intakes of total meat, red meat, white meat, total dairy fluids, or total dairy solids and breast cancer risk. Categorical analyses suggested a J-shaped association for egg consumption where, compared to women who did not eat eggs, breast cancer risk was slightly decreased among women who consumed < 2 eggs per week but slightly increased among women who consumed > or = 1 egg per day. CONCLUSIONS: We found no significant associations between intake of meat or dairy products and risk of breast cancer. An inconsistent relation between egg consumption and risk of breast cancer merits further investigation.     

Invited commentary: progress in the nutritional epidemiology of ovary cancer

Researchers do not understand what causes ovarian cancer. Some studies find galactose to be toxic to oocytes which renders ovaries susceptible to cancer. 1 hypothesis is that high levels of lactose consumption and retained ability to digest lactose (lactase persistence) lead to high levels of galactose exposure which increases the ovarian cancer risk. Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland have the highest risk of ovarian cancer in the world. They also have the highest levels of lactase persistence and among the highest levels of milk supply for the population. Conversely, Hong Kong, Japan, Shanghai, and Singapore have low ovarian cancer risk, low consumption of milk, and low levels of lactase persistence. yet other researchers using the same data did not find per capita availability of milk to be significant independent of nondairy animal fat. Lactase persistence did have an independent association, however, but data was not standardized across populations. In a case control study, researchers took the dietary history of 11 dairy products to measure lactose consumption. A significant increase in ovarian cancer risk only existed with frequent intake of yogurt and cottage cheese. Researchers hypothesized that the prehydrolyzed lactose in both foods was the main contributor. Using the case control data, others found an increased risk for total lactose intake in women who never used oral contraceptives (OCs). The strongest predictor to date is the lactose/transferase ratio, yet those who found this association did not define this index based on an earlier study or examination. 1 problem with these studies is that dietary fat confounds the association. 2 studies showed that low fat milk was associated with decreased risk, even though both milks have the same lactose content. Another problem is that the subsets of exposure or subgroups of the population are unpredictable. Further research in nutritional epidemiology of ovarian cancer is needed.     

Dairy food intake is positively associated with cardiovascular health: findings from Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study

Conflicting findings have been reported about dairy food consumption and risk for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, few studies have examined dairy food intake in relation to cardiovascular health and the incorporation of lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity. This study examined whether dairy food consumption was associated with cardiovascular health, recently defined by the American Heart Association. Data were analyzed from 1352 participants from the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg survey. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to measure intakes of milk, yogurt, cheese, dairy desserts, ice cream, and butter. Seven cardiovascular health metrics were assessed: smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose. A total cardiovascular health score (CHS) was determined by summing the total number of health metrics at ideal levels. It was hypothesized that greater dairy food consumption (both low fat and whole fat) would be associated with better global cardiovascular health, as indicated by a higher CHS. Total dairy food intake was positively associated with the CHS. Higher intakes of whole fat milk, yogurt, and cheese were associated with better cardiovascular health. Even when controlling for demographic and dietary variables, those who consumed at least 5 servings per week of these dairy products had a significantly higher CHS than those who consumed these products less frequently. Higher total whole fat dairy food intake was also associated with other positive health behaviors, including being a nonsmoker, consuming the suggested dietary intakes of recommended foods, and having a normal body mass index. Increased dairy food consumption was associated with better cardiovascular health.     

Low intakes of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits, lead to inadequate vitamin C intakes among adults

OBJECTIVE: To determine vitamin C intakes among adults and to identify differences in dietary intake associated with vitamin C consumption. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study compared vitamin C intake, nutrient intake, and food group choices of adults with low (<30 mg/d), marginal (30-60 mg/d), and desirable (>60 mg/d) vitamin C intakes. SUBJECTS: Data from 2472 men and 2334 women aged 25-75 y were obtained from the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII). RESULTS: Overall, 18% of the sample had low vitamin C intakes, 24% had marginal intakes, and 58% had desirable intakes. In addition to consuming less vitamin C, adults with low vitamin C intakes consumed significantly less (P相似文献   

Calcium and dairy food intakes are inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk in the Cohort of Swedish Men

BACKGROUND: Recent epidemiologic studies have generally reported a modest inverse association between calcium intake and the risk of colorectal cancer. However, findings pertaining to specific subsites in the colorectum have been conflicting. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to prospectively examine the relations between intakes of calcium and dairy foods and the risk of colorectal cancer, overall and by anatomic subsite, in men from the Cohort of Swedish Men. DESIGN: In 1997, 45 306 men aged 45-79 y and without a history of cancer completed a food-frequency questionnaire. The men were followed through 31 December 2004. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 6.7 y, we ascertained 449 incident cases of colorectal cancer. After adjustment for age and other known or potential risk factors, the multivariate rate ratio (RR) of colorectal cancer for men in the highest quartile of total calcium intake compared with those in the lowest quartile was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.91; P for trend = 0.01). A high consumption of dairy foods was also associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. The multivariate RR of colorectal cancer for > or = 7 servings/d of total dairy foods compared with <2 servings/d was 0.46 (0.30, 0.71; P for trend = 0.01). For cancer subsites, the corresponding RRs were 0.37 (0.16, 0.88) for proximal colon, 0.43 (0.20, 0.93) for distal colon, and 0.48 (0.23, 0.99) for rectum. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide support for inverse associations between intakes of calcium and dairy foods and the risk of colorectal cancer.     

Girls' dairy intake, energy intake, and weight status

We explored the relationships among girls' weight status, dairy servings, and total energy intake. The hypothesis that consuming dairy could reduce risk for overweight was evaluated by comparing energy intake and weight status of girls who met or consumed less than the recommended three servings of dairy per day. Participants included 172 11-year-old non-Hispanic white girls, assessed cross-sectionally. Intakes of dairy, calcium, and energy were measured using three 24-hour recalls. Body mass index and body fat measures from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were obtained. Because preliminary analyses suggested systematic underreporting of energy intake, the relationships among dairy servings and measures of weight status were examined for the total sample and for subsamples of under-, plausible, and overreporters. Data for the total sample provided support for the hypothesized relationship among weight status, dairy servings, and energy intake. Thirty-nine percent of girls reported consuming the recommended >/=3 servings of dairy per day; these girls also reported higher energy intake but had lower body mass index z scores and body fat than the girls who consumed fewer than three dairy servings each day. Among plausible reporters, no relationship between dairy intake and weight status was noted. This discrepancy may be attributable to a high percentage (45%) of overweight underreporters in the total sample. Our findings reveal that reporting bias, resulting from the presence of a substantial proportion of underreporters of higher weight status, can contribute to obtaining spurious associations between dairy intake and weight status. These findings underscore the need for randomly controlled trials to assess the role of dairy in weight management.     

The consumption of lycopene and tomato-based food products is not associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in women

Lycopene is a major carotenoid with potent antioxidant properties that may provide protection against the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In this study we examined the association between baseline dietary intakes of lycopene, lycopene-containing foods, and the subsequent development of type 2 DM in a large prospective cohort study. We analyzed a total of 35,783 women from the United States, aged > or =45 y and free from self-reported cardiovascular disease, cancer, and DM at baseline. Intakes of lycopene and total and individual tomato-based food products were assessed by a 131-item-validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. During a median follow-up of 10.2 y, 1544 cases of incident type 2 DM were documented. After adjusting for age, total energy intake, randomized treatment assignment, body mass index, and other known DM risk factors, the multivariate-adjusted relative risks and 95% CI of type 2 DM across increasing quintiles of dietary lycopene, were 1.00 (baseline), 1.10 (0.94-1.29), 1.10 (0.94-1.29), and 1.07 (0.91-1.26) (P linear trend = 0.56). Compared with women who consumed <1.5 servings/wk total tomato-based food products, women who consumed 1.5 to <4, 4 to <7, 7 to <10, and > or =10 servings/wk had multivariate relative risks (95% CI) of 1.03 (0.88-1.20), 1.02 (0.87-1.20), 1.09 (0.89-1.33), and 1.04 (0.80-1.36), respectively (P linear trend = 0.54). The associations for individual tomato-based food products were similar to the results for the combination of all tomato products. Our study found little evidence for an association between dietary intake of lycopene or lycopene-containing foods and the risk of type 2 DM.     

Plant foods, fiber, and rectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Associations between colon and rectal cancer and intakes of vegetables, other plant foods, and fiber have stimulated much debate. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between rectal cancer and plant food and fiber intakes. DESIGN: Data from 952 incident cases of rectal cancer were compared with data from 1205 population-based controls living in Utah or enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in northern California RESULTS: Rectal cancer was inversely associated with intakes of vegetables (odds ratio: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.98), fruit (0.73; 0.53, 0.99), and whole-grain products (0.69; 0.51, 0.94), whereas a high intake of refined-grain products was directly associated with an increased risk of rectal cancer (1.42; 1.04, 1.92). Similarly, relative to low fiber intakes, high intakes of dietary fiber reduced the risk of rectal cancer (0.54; 0.37, 0.78). The reduced risk of rectal cancer associated with vegetable (0.48; 0.29, 0.80), fruit (0.63; 0.38, 1.06), and fiber (0.40; 0.22, 0.71) intakes was strongest for persons who received the diagnosis after age 65 y. A threshold effect at approximately 5 servings of vegetables/d was needed to see a reduced risk of rectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that plant foods may be important in the etiology of rectal cancer in both men and women. Age at diagnosis appears to play an important role in the association.     

Low-Fat Dairy Intake and Body Weight and Composition Changes in College Students

Dairy calcium may help prevent excess weight gain and obesity when consumed in adequate amounts (three or more servings per day) and combined with energy balance. This prospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate dairy intake and examine the association between low-fat dairy intake and body weight and composition changes in college students. Seventy-six college students (65 women and 11 men; mean age±standard error [SE]=19.2±0.2 years) completed 7-day food records, body height (cm), weight (kg), and waist circumference (cm) measurements twice (September 2004 and April 2005). Percentage of truncal fat and percentage of total body fat were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. One-way multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted. Overall (mean±SE) total dairy (1.4±0.1 servings/day), low-fat dairy (0.5±0.1 servings/day), and calcium (815±41 mg/day) intakes were low. Subjects who consumed a higher amount of low-fat dairy products (mean±SE=0.8±0.1 servings/day) had better diet quality, gained less body weight, and had reductions in waist circumference, percentage truncal fat, and percentage total body fat compared to those with lower intake (mean±SE=0.1±0.0 servings/day). Low-fat dairy intake may be associated with better diet quality and weight management in college students. Nutrition interventions in young adults should promote low-fat dairy intake as part of an overall healthful lifestyle.     

Is Dairy Intake Associated to Breast Cancer? A Case Control Study of Iranian Women

Current epidemiologic data lack consistent evidence for an association between consumption of dairy products and breast cancer risk. In this study we assessed the relationship between consumption of dairy products and the odds of breast cancer. This case-control study was conducted on 275 women (100 cases and 175 controls). Data regarding sociodemographic factors, medical history, medications, and anthropometric measurements were collected. Dietary data were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The odds [95% confidence interval (CI)] of breast cancer were estimated across quartile categories of energy-adjusted dairy intake using multiple logistic regression models with adjustment for confounders. We observed that higher consumption of total dairy intake was accompanied with reduced breast cancer risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.04–0.38]. A similar inverse association was also observed for higher intakes of low-fat and fermented dairy products (P for trend <0.05). Lower intake of high-fat dairy was associated with reduced odds of breast cancer, and no significant association was found between nonfermented dairy and breast cancer risk. Our study demonstrates the protective effects of high intakes of total dairy, low-fat and fermented dairy, as well as low intakes of high-fat dairy products against breast cancer risk and shows no association with nonfermented dairy.     

Dietary lycopene,tomato-based food products and cardiovascular disease in women

In addition to the inverse association of dietary lycopene with various cancers, studies suggest a role for lycopene in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. We determined whether the intake of lycopene or tomato-based foods is associated with the risk of CVD in a prospective cohort of 39,876 middle-aged and older women initially free of CVD and cancer. Participants completed a food-frequency questionnaire and provided self-reports of coronary risk factors. Dietary lycopene levels were divided into quintiles, and primary lycopene food sources (total tomato-based products, including tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato sauce and pizza) were categorized. During 7.2 y of follow-up, 719 CVD cases (including myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularization and CVD death) occurred. Compared with women in the 1st quintile of lycopene, those in increasing quintiles had multivariate relative risks (RR) of CVD of 1.11, 1.14, 1.15 and 0.90 (P for trend = 0.34). For the consumption of tomato-based products, women consuming 1.5 to <4, 4 to <7, 7 to <10 and >or=10 servings/wk had RR (95% CI) of CVD of 1.02 (0.82-1.26), 1.04 (0.82-1.31), 0.68 (0.49-0.96) and 0.71 (0.42-1.17) (P for trend = 0.029) compared with women consuming <1.5 servings/wk. Among lycopene food sources, those in the highest levels of tomato sauce (>or=2 servings/wk) and pizza intake (>or=2 servings/wk), with multivariate RR of 0.76 (0.55-1.05) and 0.66 (0.37-1.18), respectively, had potential reductions in CVD risk. Dietary lycopene was not strongly associated with the risk of CVD. However, the possible inverse associations noted for higher levels of tomato-based products, particularly tomato sauce and pizza, with CVD suggest that dietary lycopene or other phytochemicals consumed as oil-based tomato products confer cardiovascular benefits.     

A diet high in low-fat dairy products lowers diabetes risk in postmenopausal women

Some previous studies have suggested that consuming dairy products, particularly the low-fat variety, lowers the incidence of type 2 diabetes. However, no study to our knowledge has focused on an ethnically diverse group of postmenopausal women, a population with a high risk of this disease. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 82,076 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study who did not report diabetes at enrollment. Total, low-fat, and high-fat dairy product and yogurt intakes were estimated from FFQ at baseline and 3 y of follow-up. Treated diabetes incidence was ascertained from annual follow-up questionnaires. During 8 y of follow-up, 3946 cases of incident treated diabetes were reported (annual incidence, 0.73%; cumulative incidence, 4.8%). After multivariable adjustment, low-fat dairy product consumption was inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. RR was roughly 0.5-0.6 in the upper quintiles compared with the lowest quintile (median servings/d, 2.8 in the 5th quintile and 1.5 in the 4th quintile vs. 0.05 in the first quintile; P-trend < 0.001). The inverse relationship was more pronounced in women with a higher BMI. High yogurt consumption was associated with a significant decrease in diabetes risk, whereas there was no relationship between high-fat dairy product consumption and diabetes risk. A diet high in low-fat dairy products is associated with lower diabetes risk in postmenopausal women, particularly those who are obese.     

Dairy and dairy-related nutrient intake during middle childhood

OBJECTIVE: To characterize patterns of dairy intake among girls in middle childhood. DESIGN: Longitudinal data were used to characterize girls' patterns of dairy intake at age 5, 7, 9, and 11 years. SUBJECTS: Participants were 151 girls from predominately middle-class and exclusively non-Hispanic white families living in central Pennsylvania. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Intakes of dairy, energy, macronutrients, vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus were assessed using three 24-hour dietary recalls in 151 non-Hispanic white girls at age 5, 7, 9, and 11 years. Analyses of changes over time were conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance. McNemar's chi(2) test was used to analyze change in percentage of dairy consumers over time. RESULTS: From age 5 to 11 years, girls' total dairy intake remained stable. Total milk consumption declined, due to a decline in intake of milk as a beverage, while intakes of cheese and dairy desserts increased. Much of the decline in milk intake from age 5 to 11 years, especially for milk as a beverage, was due to a reduction in the percentage of girls consuming milk as a beverage, not simply due to a decline in the servings of milk as a beverage consumed by consumers. On average, girls met vitamin D recommendations over time; however, by age 9 and 11 years girls failed to meet calcium and phosphorus recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Although girls' dairy intake was stable over time, at age 7, 9, and 11 years girls did not meet the recommended three servings per day, leading to suboptimal intakes of calcium and phosphorus at age 9 and 11 years. Increasing milk intake among all children should continue to be a major focus of interventions.     

Whole- and refined-grain intakes and the risk of hypertension in women

BACKGROUND: Prospective studies linking whole- and refined-grain intakes with the risk of hypertension, a major cardiovascular disease risk factor, remain limited. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether baseline intake of whole or refined grains is associated with subsequent development of hypertension. DESIGN: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 28 926 female US health professionals aged >or=45 y who were free of baseline cardiovascular disease, cancer, and hypertension in 1992. Baseline whole- and refined-grain intakes were assessed from semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaires. We identified 8722 incident cases of hypertension from annual questionnaires during 10 y of follow-up. RESULTS: After adjustment for known hypertension risk factors, the relative risks (RRs) (and 95% CIs) of incident hypertension were 1.00 (reference), 0.96 (0.89, 1.03), 0.95 (0.88, 1.02), 0.92 (0.85, 0.99), and 0.89 (0.82, 0.97) across the increasing quintiles of baseline whole-grain intake (P for trend = 0.007). When functional cutoffs were used, women who consumed 0.5 to <1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, and >or=4 whole-grain servings/d had multivariate RRs (95% CIs) of 0.93 (0.87, 1.00), 0.93 (0.87, 0.99), 0.92 (0.85, 0.99), and 0.77 (0.66, 0.89), respectively, compared with those who consumed <0.5 whole-grain servings/d. In contrast, refined-grain intake was not associated with the risk of hypertension. The multivariate RRs of hypertension across the increasing quintiles of refined-grain intake were 1.00, 0.97, 0.94, 0.99, and 0.97 (P for trend = 0.80). CONCLUSION: Higher whole-grain intake was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension in middle-aged and older women, which suggests a potential role for increasing whole-grain intake in the primary prevention of hypertension and its cardiovascular complications.