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Racial and ethnic heterogeneity in diets of low-income adult females in the United States: results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2011 to 2018.
Stephenson, BJK, Willett, WC
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2023;(3):625-634
Abstract
BACKGROUND Poor diet is a major risk factor of cardiovascular and chronic diseases, particularly for low-income female adults. However, the pathways by which race and ethnicity plays a role in this risk factor have not been fully explored. OBJECTIVES This observational study aimed to identify dietary consumption differences by race and ethnicity of US female adults living at or below the 130% poverty income level from 2011 to 2018. METHODS A total of 2917 adult females aged 20 to 80 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2018) living at or below the 130% poverty income level with at least one complete 24-hour dietary recall were classified into 5 self-identified racial and ethnic subgroups (Mexican, other Hispanic, non-Hispanic [NH]-White, NH-Black, and NH-Asian). Dietary consumption patterns were defined by 28 major food groups summarized from the Food Pattern Equivalents Database and derived via a robust profile clustering model, which identifies foods that share consumption patterns across all low-income female adults and foods that differ in consumption patterns based on the racial and ethnic subgroups. RESULTS All food consumption patterns were identified at the local level, defined by racial and ethnic subgroups. Legumes and cured meats were the most differentiating foods identified across all racial and ethnic subgroups. Higher consumption levels of legumes were observed among Mexican-American and other Hispanic females. Higher consumption levels of cured meat were observed among NH-White and Black females. NH-Asian females had the most uniquely characterized patterns with a higher consumption of prudent foods (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). CONCLUSIONS Differences among the consumption behaviors of low-income female adults were found along racial and ethnic lines. Efforts to improve the nutritional health of low-income female adults should consider racial and ethnic differences in diets to appropriately focus interventions.
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The Sulfur Microbial Diet Is Associated With Increased Risk of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Precursors.
Nguyen, LH, Cao, Y, Hur, J, Mehta, RS, Sikavi, DR, Wang, Y, Ma, W, Wu, K, Song, M, Giovannucci, EL, et al
Gastroenterology. 2021;(5):1423-1432.e4
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BACKGROUND & AIMS Diet may contribute to the increasing incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) before age 50 (early-onset CRC). Microbial metabolism of dietary sulfur produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gastrointestinal carcinogen that cannot be easily measured at scale. As a result, evidence supporting its role in early neoplasia is lacking. METHODS We evaluated long-term adherence to the sulfur microbial diet, a dietary index defined a priori based on increased abundance of 43 bacterial species involved with sulfur metabolism, with risk of CRC precursors among 59,013 individuals who underwent lower endoscopy in the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2015), a prospective cohort study with dietary assessment every 4 years through validated food frequency questionnaires and an assessment of dietary intake during adolescence in 1998. The sulfur microbial diet was characterized by intake high in processed meats, foods previously linked to CRC development, and low in mixed vegetables and legumes. Multivariable logistic regression for clustered data was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS We documented 2911 cases of early-onset adenoma. After adjusting for established risk factors, higher sulfur microbial diet scores were associated with increased risk for early-onset adenomas (ORquartile [Q]4 vs Q1, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.10-1.56, Ptrend = .02), but not serrated lesions. Compared with the lowest, women in the highest quartile of sulfur microbial diet scores had significantly increased risk of early-onset adenomas with greater malignant potential (ORQ4 vs Q1, 1.65 for villous/tubulovillous histology; 95% CI, 1.12-2.43; Ptrend = .04). Similar trends for early-onset adenoma were observed based on diet consumed during adolescence. In contrast, no clear association for adenomas was identified after age 50. CONCLUSIONS Our findings in a cohort of young women support a role for dietary interactions with gut sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in early-onset colorectal carcinogenesis, possibly beginning in adolescence.
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Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Men and Women in the U.S.
Li, J, Lee, DH, Hu, J, Tabung, FK, Li, Y, Bhupathiraju, SN, Rimm, EB, Rexrode, KM, Manson, JE, Willett, WC, et al
Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2020;(19):2181-2193
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammation plays an important role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. Diet modulates inflammation; however, it remains unknown whether dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential are associated with long-term CVD risk. OBJECTIVES This study sought to examine whether proinflammatory diets are associated with increased CVD risk. METHODS We prospectively followed 74,578 women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) (1984-2016), 91,656 women from the NHSII (1991-2015), and 43,911 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2016) who were free of CVD and cancer at baseline. Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaires every 4 years. The inflammatory potential of diet was evaluated using a food-based empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) score that was pre-defined based on levels of 3 systemic inflammatory biomarkers. RESULTS During 5,291,518 person-years of follow-up, we documented 15,837 incident CVD cases, including 9,794 coronary heart disease (CHD) cases and 6,174 strokes. In pooled analyses of the 3 cohorts, after adjustment for use of anti-inflammatory medications and CVD risk factors including body mass index, a higher dietary inflammatory potential, as indicated by higher EDIP scores, was associated with an increased risk of CVD (hazard ratio [HR] comparing the highest to lowest quintiles: 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31 to 1.46; p for trend <0.001), CHD (HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.36 to 1.56; p for trend <0.001), and stroke (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.17- to 1.39; p for trend <0.001). These associations were consistent across cohorts and between sexes, and they remained significant after further adjustment for other dietary quality indices. In a subset of study participants (n = 33,719), a higher EDIP was associated with a higher circulating profile of proinflammatory biomarkers, lower levels of adiponectin, and an unfavorable blood lipid profile (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Dietary patterns with a higher proinflammatory potential were associated with higher CVD risk. Reducing the inflammatory potential of the diet may potentially provide an effective strategy for CVD prevention.
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Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study.
Nguyen, LH, Drew, DA, Graham, MS, Joshi, AD, Guo, CG, Ma, W, Mehta, RS, Warner, ET, Sikavi, DR, Lo, CH, et al
The Lancet. Public health. 2020;(9):e475-e483
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data for front-line health-care workers and risk of COVID-19 are limited. We sought to assess risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers compared with the general community and the effect of personal protective equipment (PPE) on risk. METHODS We did a prospective, observational cohort study in the UK and the USA of the general community, including front-line health-care workers, using self-reported data from the COVID Symptom Study smartphone application (app) from March 24 (UK) and March 29 (USA) to April 23, 2020. Participants were voluntary users of the app and at first use provided information on demographic factors (including age, sex, race or ethnic background, height and weight, and occupation) and medical history, and subsequently reported any COVID-19 symptoms. We used Cox proportional hazards modelling to estimate multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of our primary outcome, which was a positive COVID-19 test. The COVID Symptom Study app is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04331509. FINDINGS Among 2 035 395 community individuals and 99 795 front-line health-care workers, we recorded 5545 incident reports of a positive COVID-19 test over 34 435 272 person-days. Compared with the general community, front-line health-care workers were at increased risk for reporting a positive COVID-19 test (adjusted HR 11·61, 95% CI 10·93-12·33). To account for differences in testing frequency between front-line health-care workers and the general community and possible selection bias, an inverse probability-weighted model was used to adjust for the likelihood of receiving a COVID-19 test (adjusted HR 3·40, 95% CI 3·37-3·43). Secondary and post-hoc analyses suggested adequacy of PPE, clinical setting, and ethnic background were also important factors. INTERPRETATION In the UK and the USA, risk of reporting a positive test for COVID-19 was increased among front-line health-care workers. Health-care systems should ensure adequate availability of PPE and develop additional strategies to protect health-care workers from COVID-19, particularly those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds. Additional follow-up of these observational findings is needed. FUNDING Zoe Global, Wellcome Trust, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, National Institutes of Health Research, UK Research and Innovation, Alzheimer's Society, National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness.
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Effect of daily 2000 IU versus 800 IU vitamin D on blood pressure among adults age 60 years and older: a randomized clinical trial.
Abderhalden, LA, Meyer, S, Dawson-Hughes, B, Orav, EJ, Meyer, U, de Godoi Rezende Costa Molino, C, Theiler, R, Stähelin, HB, Ruschitzka, F, Egli, A, et al
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2020;(3):527-537
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BACKGROUND Observational studies report higher blood pressure (BP) among individuals with lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Whether dosage of vitamin D supplementation has a differential effect on BP control remains unclear. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to determine if daily vitamin D supplementation with 2000 IU is more effective than 800 IU for BP control among older adults. METHODS This randomized, double-blind, ancillary trial of the Zurich Multiple Endpoint Vitamin D Trial in Knee Osteoarthritis enrolled adults aged ≥60 y who underwent elective surgery due to severe knee osteoarthritis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive high dose (2000 IU) or standard dose (800 IU) daily vitamin D3 for 24 mo. Outcomes included daytime and 24-h mean systolic BP. BP variability and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration were examined in a post hoc and observational analysis. RESULTS Of the 273 participants randomly assigned, 250 participants completed a follow-up 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (mean age: 70.4 ± 6.4 y; 47.2% men). The difference in daytime mean systolic BP reduction between the 2000 IU (n = 123) and 800 IU (n = 127) groups was not statistically significant (-2.75 mm Hg vs. -3.94 mm Hg; difference: 1.18 mm Hg; 95% CI: -0.68, 3.05; P = 0.21), consistent with 24-h mean systolic BP. However, systolic BP variability was significantly reduced with 2000 IU (average real variability: -0.37 mm Hg) compared to 800 IU vitamin D3 (0.11 mm Hg; difference: -0.48 mm Hg; 95% CI: -0.94, -0.01; P = 0.045). Independent of group allocation, maximal reductions in mean BP were observed at 28.7 ng/mL of achieved serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations. CONCLUSIONS While daily 2000 IU and 800 IU vitamin D3 reduced mean systolic BP over 2 y to a small and similar extent, 2000 IU reduced mean systolic BP variability significantly more compared with 800 IU. However, without a placebo control group we cannot ascertain whether vitamin D supplementation effectively reduces BP.This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00599807.
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Dietary Insulin Load and Cancer Recurrence and Survival in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer: Findings From CALGB 89803 (Alliance).
Morales-Oyarvide, V, Yuan, C, Babic, A, Zhang, S, Niedzwiecki, D, Brand-Miller, JC, Sampson-Kent, L, Ye, X, Li, Y, Saltz, LB, et al
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2019;(2):170-179
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BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that diets inducing postprandial hyperinsulinemia may be associated with increased cancer-related mortality. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of postdiagnosis dietary insulin load and dietary insulin index on outcomes of stage III colon cancer patients. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational study of 1023 patients with resected stage III colon cancer enrolled in an adjuvant chemotherapy trial who reported dietary intake halfway through and six months after chemotherapy. We evaluated the association of dietary insulin load and dietary insulin index with cancer recurrence and survival using Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for potential confounders; statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS High dietary insulin load had a statistically significant association with worse disease-free survival (DFS), comparing the highest vs lowest quintile (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.90 to 4.02, Ptrend < .001). High dietary insulin index was also associated with worse DFS (highest vs lowest quintile, HR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.22 to 2.51, Ptrend= .01). The association between higher dietary insulin load and worse DFS differed by body mass index and was strongest among patients with obesity (HR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.88 to 7.12, Pinteraction = .04). The influence of dietary insulin load on cancer outcomes did not differ by mutation status of KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, TP53, or microsatellite instability. CONCLUSIONS Patients with resected stage III colon cancer who consumed a high-insulinogenic diet were at increased risk of recurrence and mortality. These findings support the importance of dietary management following resection of colon cancer, and future research into underlying mechanisms of action is warranted.
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Carbohydrate quality and quantity and risk of coronary heart disease among US women and men.
AlEssa, HB, Cohen, R, Malik, VS, Adebamowo, SN, Rimm, EB, Manson, JE, Willett, WC, Hu, FB
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2018;(2):257-267
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BACKGROUND The carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio is a recommended measure of carbohydrate quality; however, its relation to incident coronary heart disease (CHD) is not currently known. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the relation between various measures of carbohydrate quality and incident CHD. DESIGN Data on diet and lifestyle behaviors were prospectively collected on 75,020 women and 42,865 men participating in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) starting in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and every 2-4 y thereafter until 2012. All participants were free of known diabetes mellitus, cancer, or cardiovascular disease at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the relation between dietary measures of carbohydrate quality and incident CHD. RESULTS After 1,905,047 (NHS) and 921,975 (HPFS) person-years of follow-up, we identified 7,320 cases of incident CHD. In models adjusted for age, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary variables, the highest quintile of carbohydrate intake was not associated with incident CHD (pooled-RR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.14; P-trend = 0.31). Total fiber intake was not associated with risk of CHD (pooled-RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.03; P-trend = 0.72), while cereal fiber was associated with a lower risk for incident CHD (pooled-RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.87; P-trend < 0.0001). In fully adjusted models, the carbohydrate-to-total fiber ratio was not associated with incident CHD (pooled-RR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.13; P-trend = 0.46). However, the carbohydrate-to-cereal fiber ratio and the starch-to-cereal fiber ratio were associated with an increased risk for incident CHD (pooled-RR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.29; P-trend < 0.0001, and pooled-RR = 1.17; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.27; P-trend < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSION Dietary cereal fiber appears to be an important component of carbohydrate quality. The carbohydrate-to-cereal fiber ratio and the starch-to-cereal fiber ratio, but not the carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio, was associated with an increased risk for incident CHD. Future research should focus on how various measures of carbohydrate quality are associated with CHD prevention. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03214861.
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International food group-based diet quality and risk of coronary heart disease in men and women.
Fung, TT, Isanaka, S, Hu, FB, Willett, WC
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2018;(1):120-129
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BACKGROUND Standard diet quality assessment tools, which measure micronutrient sufficiency and food consumption related to disease and applicable to different populations, are needed to track progress in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals related to hunger, food security, and nutrition. Diet quality scores have been constructed for high- and low-income countries, but none are simple to administer or applicable internationally. OBJECTIVE We prospectively examined the association between the Food Group Index (FGI), the Minimal Diet Diversity Score for Women (MDDW), and a new Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS), and the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in 3 US cohorts. DESIGN In total, 75,045 women (baseline age 43-63 y), 43,966 men (aged 40-75 y), and 93,131 younger women (aged 27-44 y) without a history of cardiovascular disease were followed up to 28 y. Diet was assessed multiple times using food frequency questionnaires and the 3 diet quality scores were computed for each individual. The association with IHD was modeled with Cox proportional hazard models, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS During follow-up, we ascertained 2908 incident IHD cases in the Nurses' Health Study, 3722 in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and 505 in the Nurses' Health Study II. The FGI was not associated with total IHD in any cohort. The PDQS was significantly associated with IHD in all 3 cohorts separately and the pooled RR for each SD increase was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.91). This was significantly different than the pooled RR of 0.93 for MDDW (95% CI: 0.90, 0.96) and the RR of 0.98 for the FGI (95% CI: 0.95, 1.01). The association did not appear to differ by age. CONCLUSION We found that the PDQS with the most detailed differentiation of healthy and unhealthy foods was associated with a lower risk of IHD in a high-income country. On the other hand, diet quality scores that do not account for unhealthy foods had a limited association with IHD.
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Diet quality and genetic association with body mass index: results from 3 observational studies.
Ding, M, Ellervik, C, Huang, T, Jensen, MK, Curhan, GC, Pasquale, LR, Kang, JH, Wiggs, JL, Hunter, DJ, Willett, WC, et al
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2018;(6):1291-1300
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BACKGROUND It is unknown whether dietary quality modifies genetic association with body mass index (BMI). OBJECTIVE This study examined whether dietary quality modifies genetic association with BMI. DESIGN We calculated 3 diet quality scores including the Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), the Alternative Mediterranean Diet score (AMED), and the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score. We examined the interactions of a genetic risk score (GRS) based on 97 BMI-associated variants with the 3 diet quality scores on BMI in 30,904 participants from 3 large cohorts. RESULTS We found significant interactions between total GRS and all 3 diet scores on BMI assessed after 2-3 y, with an attenuated genetic effect observed in individuals with healthier diets (AHEI: P-interaction = 0.003; AMED P = 0.001; DASH P = 0.004). For example, the difference in BMI (kg/m2) per 10-unit increment of the GRS was smaller among participants in the highest tertile of AHEI score compared with those in the lowest tertile (0.84; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.96 compared with 1.14; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.29). Results were consistent across the 3 cohorts with no significant heterogeneity. The interactions with diet scores on BMI appeared more significant for central nervous system GRSs (P < 0.01 for 3 diet scores) than for non-central nervous system GRSs (P > 0.05 for 3 diet scores). CONCLUSIONS A higher diet quality attenuated genetic predisposition to obesity. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining a healthful diet for the prevention of obesity, particularly for those individuals with a strong genetic predisposition to obesity. This trial was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry as NCT03577639.
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Cigarette Smoking Before and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Mortality From Breast Cancer and Smoking-Related Diseases.
Passarelli, MN, Newcomb, PA, Hampton, JM, Trentham-Dietz, A, Titus, LJ, Egan, KM, Baron, JA, Willett, WC
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 2016;(12):1315-22
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PURPOSE Cigarette smoking increases overall mortality, but it is not established whether smoking is associated with breast cancer prognosis. METHODS We evaluated the association between smoking status before and after breast cancer diagnosis and mortality in the Collaborative Breast Cancer and Women's Longevity Study, a population-based prospective observational study conducted in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Participants included 20,691 women, ages 20 to 79 years, diagnosed with incident localized or regional invasive breast cancer between 1988 and 2008; a subset of 4,562 of these women were recontacted a median of 6 years after diagnosis. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were calculated according to smoking status for death as a result of breast cancer; cancers of the lung, pharynx, or intrathoracic organs; other cancer; respiratory disease; and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS During a median of 12 years, 6,778 women died, including 2,894 who died as a result of breast cancer. Active smokers 1 year before breast cancer diagnosis were more likely than never smokers to die of breast cancer (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.37), respiratory cancer (HR, 14.48; 95% CI, 9.89 to 21.21), other respiratory disease (HR, 6.02; 95% CI, 4.55 to 7.97), and cardiovascular disease (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.80 to 2.41). The 10% of women who continued to smoke after diagnosis were more likely than never smokers to die of breast cancer (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.60). When compared with women who continued to smoke after diagnosis, those who quit smoking after diagnosis had lower mortality from breast cancer (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.38 to 1.19) and respiratory cancer (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.95). CONCLUSION Smoking before or after diagnosis was associated with a higher mortality from breast cancer and several other causes.