Cod liver oil,other dietary supplements and survival among cancer patients with solid tumours

The effect of various dietary supplements on chronic diseases and mortality has been widely studied, but few convincing results have emerged from studies in well‐nourished populations. In Norway, both cod liver oil and other dietary supplements are frequently used. In the Norwegian Women and Cancer cohort study, we explored if supplement use before diagnosis affected survival of cancer patients with solid tumours. We performed Cox proportional hazards analyses, adjusting for age at diagnosis, smoking and stage. Cod liver oil was the most frequently used dietary supplement, followed by multivitamins and minerals. Whole year daily use of cod liver oil was associated with lower risk of death in patients with solid tumours [RR = 0.77 (95% CI 0.61–0.97)] and in lung cancer patients [RR=0.56 (95% CI 0.34–0.92)]. Also daily and occasional use of other dietary supplements decreased the risk of death among lung cancer patients [RR = 0.70 (95% CI 0.49–0.99) and 0.55 (95% CI 0.31–0.97)]. More research is needed to clarify the association; meanwhile adjustment for dietary supplement use should be performed in survival analyses of lung cancer patients. © 2009 UICC     

Potato Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the Norwegian Women and Cancer Cohort

Potatoes are the fourth most plentiful food crop in the world, yet the scientific literature on the health effects of potato consumption is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the association between potato consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among 79,778 women aged 41–70, in the Norwegian Women and Cancer study. Information on diet, lifestyle, and health was collected by questionnaire. CRC cases (n = 912) were identified through registry linkage. Adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association between potato consumption and the risk of CRC. Results showed that high potato consumption was associated with a higher risk of CRC (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10, 1.60 for ≥3 potatoes per day versus 0–7 potatoes per week). The same association was found for rectal cancer (HR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.36), and same tendencies were found for colon cancer (HR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.50). When stratified by body mass index (BMI) (<25 and ≥25 kg/m²), significant associations were found with BMI <25 kg/m² for CRC (HR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.89) and rectal cancer (HR: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.06). No significant interaction between potato consumption and BMI (P = 0.49) was found.     

Excessive increase in circulating catecholamines during cross-clamping of the descending thoracic aorta in pigs

The purpose of this study was to determine the plasma catecholamine response to cross-clamping of the descending thoracic aorta in pigs and to relate the plasma catecholamine response to cardiac output during cross-clamping. This prospective, controlled animal study was done at the University Hospital of Trondheim, Norway. Eight pigs (19–25 kg) underwent cross-clamping of the descending thoracic aorta for 30 minutes. The time course of plasma adrenaline, plasma noradrenaline, and ascending aortic blood flow were measured. It was found that the increase of plasma catecholamines during cross-clamping of the descending thoracic aorta in pigs was parallel to the increase of aortic blood flow during cross-clamping. Plasma adrenaline increased from 0.22 nmol/L to a maximum of 11.75 nmol/L and plasma noradrenaline increased from 0.17 nmol/L to a maximum of 46.92 nmol/L after 10 minutes of cross-clamping (p=0.01). Ascending aortic blood flow increased from 2.6 L/minute to a maximum of 4.7 L/minute after 10 minutes of cross-clamping (p=0.01). Our findings support the theory that increased plasma catecholamines might be a mechanism of increased cardiac output during cross-clamping of the descending thoracic aorta. The increase of plasma catecholamines during cross-clamping is most likely due to distal hypotension with increased sympathetic activity.The work was performed at the Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Trondheim, Norway.     

Changes in predictors and status of homocysteine in young male adults after a dietary intervention with vegetables, fruits and bread

BACKGROUND: Elevated plasma total homocysteine (p-tHcy) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and an inverse association has been shown between the dietary intake of B-vitamins, B-vitamin profile and the concentration of p-tHcy. AIM OF THE STUDY: The main objective of this investigation was to study the effect of a dietary intervention focusing on an increased intake of vegetables, fruits and bread. The effect of the dietary intervention was determined by the changes in plasma concentrations of tHcy, cysteine (cys), riboflavin, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and serum concentrations of folate and vitamin B(12). METHOD: An intervention study with duration of 5 months, including 541 male recruits from the Norwegian National Guard, Vaernes and a control group, including 209 male recruits from the Norwegian Army, Heggelia. RESULTS: The dietary intervention resulted in decreased concentration of p-tHcy (-10%, P = 0.002), p-cys (-6%, P < 0.001) and FMN (-11%, P = 0.310) and increased concentration of riboflavin (+23%, P < 0.001) and FAD (+10%, P = 0.008) in the intervention group compared with the control group. The change in p-tHcy concentration was positively related to the change in the concentration of p-cys (P < 0.001) and FMN (P = 0.035) and inversely related to the change in concentration of folate (P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: A dietary intervention program focusing on an increased intake of vegetables, fruits and bread showed a favourable effect on the concentration of p-tHcy and its metabolites. Our findings suggest that the changes in the concentration of p-cys, folate and FMN seem to be predictors of changes in the p-tHcy concentration.