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Dietary Glycemic Index and Load and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Assessment of Causal Relations.
Livesey, G, Taylor, R, Livesey, HF, Buyken, AE, Jenkins, DJA, Augustin, LSA, Sievenpiper, JL, Barclay, AW, Liu, S, Wolever, TMS, et al
Nutrients. 2019;11(6)
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It is generally accepted that certain diet and lifestyle choices contribute to a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this meta-analysis, researchers set out to review previous studies and assess whether there is any evidence that the amount and type of carbohydrate (measured by Glycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL)) in a person’s diet has a direct influence on their risk of developing T2D. The authors concluded with a high level of confidence that eating high GI and GL foods can lead to a higher risk of developing T2D. They suggest that nutrition advice that favours low GI and GL foods could produce significant cost savings for public healthcare.
Abstract
While dietary factors are important modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D), the causal role of carbohydrate quality in nutrition remains controversial. Dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) have been examined in relation to the risk of T2D in multiple prospective cohort studies. Previous meta-analyses indicate significant relations but consideration of causality has been minimal. Here, the results of our recent meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies of 4 to 26-y follow-up are interpreted in the context of the nine Bradford-Hill criteria for causality, that is: (1) Strength of Association, (2) Consistency, (3) Specificity, (4) Temporality, (5) Biological Gradient, (6) Plausibility, (7) Experimental evidence, (8) Analogy, and (9) Coherence. These criteria necessitated referral to a body of literature wider than prospective cohort studies alone, especially in criteria 6 to 9. In this analysis, all nine of the Hill's criteria were met for GI and GL indicating that we can be confident of a role for GI and GL as causal factors contributing to incident T2D. In addition, neither dietary fiber nor cereal fiber nor wholegrain were found to be reliable or effective surrogate measures of GI or GL. Finally, our cost-benefit analysis suggests food and nutrition advice favors lower GI or GL and would produce significant potential cost savings in national healthcare budgets. The high confidence in causal associations for incident T2D is sufficient to consider inclusion of GI and GL in food and nutrient-based recommendations.
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Coffee, tea and decaffeinated coffee in relation to hepatocellular carcinoma in a European population: multicentre, prospective cohort study.
Bamia, C, Lagiou, P, Jenab, M, Trichopoulou, A, Fedirko, V, Aleksandrova, K, Pischon, T, Overvad, K, Olsen, A, Tjønneland, A, et al
International journal of cancer. 2015;136(8):1899-908
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The most investigated risk factors for Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Liver cancer) are alcohol, diet and obesity. This cohort study looks at tea and coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated) consumption with HCC risk using data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition study (EPIC). The EPIC study recruited 521,000 apparently healthy participants, aged 25-70 years, from 10 European countries between 1992 and 2000. Their diets were assessed by questionnaire alongside biometric data and other lifestyle factors. The researchers were able to identify 201 HCC cases among 486,799 men/women, after a median follow-up of 11 years. Some data had to be excluded based on cultural tea and coffee drinking habits (particularly lack of data from certain nationalities). There was coffee data from 163,672 participants drinking an overall median of 354 ml/d among men and 290 ml/d among women. The results found that increased coffee intake in participants in the highest compared to the lowest quintile had a lower HCC risk by 72%. There was no significant data for decaffeinated coffee. Tea drinkers represented just 66% of the total cohort and median intakes were 107 ml/d for men and 190 ml/d for women. Tea intake was also inversely associated with HCC incidence with 60% lower HCC risk. The study concludes that intakes of coffee and, to a lesser extent, tea are associated with lower HCC incidence. The incidence of HCC in participants was low so further studies are necessary.
Abstract
Inverse associations of coffee and/or tea in relation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk have been consistently identified in studies conducted mostly in Asia where consumption patterns of such beverages differ from Europe. In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC), we identified 201 HCC cases among 486,799 men/women, after a median follow-up of 11 years. We calculated adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for HCC incidence in relation to quintiles/categories of coffee/tea intakes. We found that increased coffee and tea intakes were consistently associated with lower HCC risk. The inverse associations were substantial, monotonic and statistically significant. Coffee consumers in the highest compared to the lowest quintile had lower HCC risk by 72% [HR: 0.28; 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.16-0.50, p-trend < 0.001]. The corresponding association of tea with HCC risk was 0.41 (95% CI: 0.22-0.78, p-trend = 0.003). There was no compelling evidence of heterogeneity of these associations across strata of important HCC risk factors, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C status (available in a nested case-control study). The inverse, monotonic associations of coffee intake with HCC were apparent for caffeinated (p-trend = 0.009), but not decaffeinated (p-trend = 0.45) coffee for which, however, data were available for a fraction of subjects. Results from this multicentre, European cohort study strengthen the existing evidence regarding the inverse association between coffee/tea and HCC risk. Given the apparent lack of heterogeneity of these associations by HCC risk factors and that coffee/tea are universal exposures, our results could have important implications for high HCC risk subjects.
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Healthy lifestyle and risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort study.
McKenzie, F, Ferrari, P, Freisling, H, Chajès, V, Rinaldi, S, de Batlle, J, Dahm, CC, Overvad, K, Baglietto, L, Dartois, L, et al
International journal of cancer. 2015;136(11):2640-8
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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. A number of modifiable lifestyle factors have been shown to be associated with breast cancer risk including diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and body fat. A health index combining these five risk factors was created and used to establish an association between lifestyle and breast cancer risk amongst participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, a large prospective epidemiological study which recruited 521,330 healthy men and women, including 242,918 postmenopausal women, across Europe. The diet score was based on intakes of seven dietary factors: cereal fibre, folate, the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat, fatty fish (as a marker for omega-3 fatty acids), margarine (as a marker for industrially produced trans-fats), glycaemic load and fruits and vegetables. There was a lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with healthier lifestyles. All individual components of the healthy lifestyle index were significantly associated with breast cancer risk, except smoking. The combined healthy lifestyle index was overall more strongly associated with breast cancer risk compared to the individual factors. The authors conclude that breast cancer prevention policies should include strategies to engage all women in lasting healthy diet and lifestyle habits.
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and prevention strategies are needed to reduce incidence worldwide. A healthy lifestyle index score (HLIS) was generated to investigate the joint effect of modifiable lifestyle factors on postmenopausal breast cancer risk. The study included 242,918 postmenopausal women from the multinational European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, with detailed information on diet and lifestyle assessed at baseline. The HLIS was constructed from five factors (diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and anthropometry) by assigning scores of 0-4 to categories of each component, for which higher values indicate healthier behaviours. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated by Cox proportional regression models. During 10.9 years of median follow-up, 7,756 incident breast cancer cases were identified. There was a 3% lower risk of breast cancer per point increase of the HLIS. Breast cancer risk was inversely associated with a high HLIS when fourth versus second (reference) categories were compared [adjusted HR = 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.83]. The fourth versus the second category of the HLIS was associated with a lower risk for hormone receptor double positive (adjusted HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67-0.98) and hormone receptor double negative breast cancer (adjusted HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.40-0.90). Findings suggest having a high score on an index of combined healthy behaviours reduces the risk of developing breast cancer among postmenopausal women. Programmes which engage women in long term health behaviours should be supported.
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Serum levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and colorectal cancer risk: results from the EPIC cohort, plus a meta-analysis of prospective studies.
Rinaldi, S, Cleveland, R, Norat, T, Biessy, C, Rohrmann, S, Linseisen, J, Boeing, H, Pischon, T, Panico, S, Agnoli, C, et al
International journal of cancer. 2010;126(7):1702-15
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Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) plays an important role in growth and development as a function of available energy and essential nutrients from body reserves and diet. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships of colorectal cancers with serum levels of IGF-I, and with 2 measures of IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3. The study also examined whether relative risks associated to IGF-I levels were modified by anthropometric and dietary factors. A meta-analysis was performed where the study results were combined with the results from previously published prospective studies. For the study, 1,121 case sets with IGF-1 and total IGFBP-3 measurements were observed. For each case participant with colon or rectum cancer, 1 control participant was selected randomly. Control were matched to cases depending on a set criteria. The study found no association between colorectal cancer risk and serum levels of IGF-1 or IGFBP-3. However, the results from the meta-analysis showed only a very mild significant positive association. Overall, findings from the study together with those from the prospective cohort studies indicate a modest role for elevated circulating IGF-I levels in the development of colorectal cancer.
Abstract
Several prospective studies have shown a moderate positive association between increasing circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and colorectal cancer risk. However, the associations were often statistically nonsignificant, and the relationship of cancer risk with IGF-I's major binding protein, IGFBP-3, showed major discrepancies between studies. We investigated the association of colorectal cancer risk with serum IGF-I, total and intact IGFBP-3, in a case-control study nested within the EPIC cohort (1,121 cases of colorectal cancer and 1,121 matched controls). Conditional logistic regression was used to adjust for possible confounders. Our present study results were combined in a meta-analysis with those from 9 previous prospective studies to examine the overall evidence for a relationship of prediagnostic serum IGF-I with colorectal cancer risk. In the EPIC study, serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 showed no associations with risk of colorectal cancer overall. Only in subgroup analyses did our study show moderate positive associations of IGF-I levels with risk, either among younger participants only (and only for colon cancer) or among participants whose milk intakes were in the lowest tertile of the population distribution (RR for an increase of 100 ng/ml = 1.43 [95% CI = 1.13-1.93]). Nevertheless, in the meta-analysis a modest positive association remained between serum IGF-I and colorectal cancer risk overall (RR = 1.07 [1.01-1.14] for 1 standard deviation increase in IGF-I). Overall, data from our present study and previous prospective studies combined indicate a relatively modest association of colorectal cancer risk with serum IGF-I.