Sunlight, vitamin D and the prevention of cancer: a systematic review of epidemiological studies.
Rhee HV, Coebergh JW, Vries ED.
Eur J Cancer Prev. 2009 Aug 26. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19730382
We, therefore, conclude that there is accumulating evidence for sunlight as a protective factor for several types of cancer. The same conclusion can be made concerning high vitamin D levels and the risk of colorectal cancer. This evidence, however, is not conclusive, because the number of (good quality) studies is still limited and publication biases cannot be excluded. The discrepancies between the epidemiological evidence for a possible preventive effect of sunlight and vitamin D and the question of how to apply the findings on the beneficial effects of sunlight to (public) health recommendations are discussed.
Vitamin D and the epidemiology of prostate cancer.
Schwartz GG.
Semin Dial. 2005 Jul-Aug;18(4):276-89. Review.
PMID: 16076349
DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-139X.2005.18403.x
Epidemiology of vitamin D insufficiency and cancer mortality.
Pilz S, Tomaschitz A, Obermayer-Pietsch B, Dobnig H, Pieber TR.
Anticancer Res. 2009 Sep;29(9):3699-704. Review.
PMID: 19667167
In conclusion, we still need further studies to evaluate the association of vitamin D insufficiency and cancer incidence and mortality, but the multiple health benefits of vitamin D and the easy, safe and inexpensive way by which vitamin D can be supplemented should already guide current public health strategies to achieve 25(OH)D levels of at least 75 nmol/l (30 ng/ml) in the general population.
On the epidemiology of influenza.
Cannell JJ, Zasloff M, Garland CF, Scragg R, Giovannucci E.
Virol J. 2008 Feb 25;5:29. Review.
PMID: 18298852
doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-29
Serum vitamin D and subsequent occurrence of type 2 diabetes.
Knekt P, Laaksonen M, Mattila C, Härkänen T, Marniemi J, Heliövaara M, Rissanen H, Montonen J, Reunanen A.
Epidemiology. 2008 Sep;19(5):666-71.
PMID: 18496468
doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e318176b8ad
Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that high vitamin D status provides protection against type 2 diabetes. Residual confounding may contribute to this association.
Vitamin D status and the risk of lung cancer: a cohort study in Finland.
Kilkkinen A, Knekt P, Heliövaara M, Rissanen H, Marniemi J, Hakulinen T, Aromaa A.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Nov;17(11):3274-8.
PMID: 18990771v
In conclusion, although there was no overall association between vitamin D and lung cancer risk, women and young participants with a higher level of vitamin D were observed to have a lower lung cancer risk. Although experimental data support the suppressing effect of vitamin D on the development of lung cancer, large epidemiologic studies from different populations with repeated measurements of vitamin D are warranted to confirm this finding. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(11):3274-8)
Egg consumption and coronary heart disease: an epidemiologic overview.
Kritchevsky SB, Kritchevsky D.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2000 Oct;19(5 Suppl):549S-555S. Review.
PMID: 11023006
When dietary confounders were considered, no association was seen between egg consumption at levels up to 1 + egg per day and the risk of coronary heart disease in non-diabetic men and women.
Taurine as the nutritional factor for the longevity of the Japanese revealed by a world-wide epidemiological survey.
Yamori Y, Liu L, Mori M, Sagara M, Murakami S, Nara Y, Mizushima S.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;643:13-25.
PMID: 19239132
"HOUSTON - A diet that incorporates a daily dose of pistachios may help reduce the risk of lung and other cancers, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held Dec. 6-9.
"It is known that vitamin E provides a degree of protection against certain forms of cancer. Higher intakes of gamma-tocopherol, which is a form of vitamin E, may reduce the risk of lung cancer," said Ladia M. Hernandez, M.S., R.D., L.D., senior research dietitian in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and doctoral candidate at Texas Woman's University - Houston Center.
"Pistachios are a good source of gamma-tocopherol. Eating them increases intake of gamma-tocopherol so pistachios may help to decrease lung cancer risk," she said.
Pistachios are known to provide a heart-healthy benefit by producing a cholesterol-lowering effect and providing the antioxidants that are typically found in food products of plant origin. Hernandez and colleagues conducted a six-week, controlled clinical trial to evaluate if the consumption of pistachios would increase dietary intake and serum levels of gamma-tocopherol. A pistachio-rich diet could potentially help reduce the risk of other cancers from developing as well, according to Hernandez.
"Because epidemiologic studies suggest gamma-tocopherol is protective against prostate cancer, pistachio intake may help," she said. "Other food sources that are a rich source of gamma-tocopherol include nuts such as peanuts, pecans, walnuts, soybean and corn oils.""
Katri Räikkönen, Anu-Katriina Pesonen, Kati Heinonen, Jari Lahti, Niina Komsi, Johan G. Eriksson, Jonathan R. Seckl, Anna-Liisa Järvenpää, and Timo E. Strandberg
Maternal Licorice Consumption and Detrimental Cognitive and Psychiatric Outcomes in Children
American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published on October 4, 2009.
doi:10.1093/aje/kwp272
Data are compatible with adverse fetal "programming" by overexposure to glucocorticoids and caution against excessive intake of licorice-containing foodstuffs during pregnancy.
A review of scientific research and recommendations regarding eggs.
Kritchevsky SB.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6 Suppl):596S-600S. Review.
PMID: 15640512
For much of the past 40 years, the public has been warned away from eggs because of a concern over coronary heart disease risk. This concern is based on three observations: 1. eggs are a rich source of dietary cholesterol; 2. when fed experimentally, dietary cholesterol increases serum cholesterol and; 3. high serum cholesterol predicts the onset of coronary heart disease. However, data from free-living populations show that egg consumption is not associated with higher cholesterol levels. Furthermore, as a whole, the epidemiologic literature does not support the idea that egg consumption is a risk factor for coronary disease. Within the nutritional community there is a growing appreciation that health derives from an overall pattern of diet rather than from the avoidance of particular foods, and there has been a shift in the tone in recent dietary recommendations away from "avoidance" messages to ones that promote healthy eating patterns. The most recent American Heart Association guidelines no longer include a recommendation to limit egg consumption, but recommend the adoption of eating practices associated with good health. Based on the epidemiologic evidence, there is no reason to think that such a healthy eating pattern could not include eggs.
SSeason of diagnosis is a prognostic factor in Hodgkin's lymphoma: a possible role of sun-induced vitamin D.
Porojnicu AC, Robsahm TE, Ree AH, Moan J.
Br J Cancer. 2005 Sep 5;93(5):571-4.
PMID: 16136030
doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6602722
Epidemiological data for this period indicate that season of diagnosis is a strong prognostic factor for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with approximately 20% lower case fatality for patients diagnosed during autumn vs winter diagnosis (RR = 0.783, 95% CI,-0.62 to 0.99; P = 0.041). Notably, the improved autumnal survival rate was higher than 60% (RR = 0.364, 95% CI, -0.15 to 0.87; P = 0.025) for patients younger than 30 years. This finding may be related to higher endogenous levels of vitamin D in autumn, with a favourable influence on the conventional therapy.
In conclusion, we have found that the prognosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma is significantly correlated with the season of diagnosis, particularly for patients younger than 30 years. This seasonal effect is presumably due to the vitamin D3 synthesis in skin during sun exposure. The present findings should encourage further investigations of the possible adjuvant role of vitamin D derivatives in cancer therapy
A new (March 24th) report in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, shows that Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against advanced prostate cancer.
Dr. John S. Witte, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco, says that previous research has shown protection against prostate cancer, but that this is one of the first studies to show protection against advanced prostate cancer.
Tofu and cognitive function: food for thought.
Grodstein F, Mayeux R, Stampfer MJ.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2000 Apr;19(2):207-9. Review.
PMID: 10763901
In addition, a plausible biologic hypothesis is generally an important part of judging epidemiologic relations. While high tofu intake may lead to lower plasma estrogen levels [12], we do not know how tofu influences estrogen levels in the brain; we also know very little about estrogen effects in men. Furthermore, data have not even consistently indicated that low endogenous estrogen levels are directly related to cognitive function in non-demented subjects [13]. The authors also posit a non-estrogen mediated hypothesis for the effects of tofu, namely that soy inhibits hippocampal tyrosine kinase and may block long-term potentiation (the likely mechanism by which humans learn and remember). Still, considerably more work must be done to substantiate this hypothesis.
Finally, the single measures of outcome used in this study may have limited value, as cognitive function and brain structure change over time. Factors which predict these measures at one point may or may not be the same as those which predict decline over time; fundamentally, the public health interest is in preventing cognitive decline, as the steepness of the decline trajectory likely provides an early marker for risk of the more clinically relevant result-dementia.
Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease.
Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jan 13. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 20071648
doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725
Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat.
Israeli 'cancer shift' over heart disease mortality may be led by greater risk in women with high intake of n-6 fatty acids.
Shapira N.
Eur J Cancer Prev. 2007 Oct;16(5):486-94.
PMID: 17923822
doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0b013e3280145b6d
Population studies of Israeli Jews, Arabs, and women support the association of high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake with increased cancer risk and higher female sensitivity. Research findings suggest that gender and sex hormones may influence n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism and carcinogenesis. This appears to be the first time gender has been proposed to modulate national cancer epidemiology, suggesting implications for differential nutritional prevention, warranting further research.
ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2009) - For every gram of salt that Americans reduce in their diets daily, a quarter of a million fewer new heart disease cases and over 200,000 fewer deaths would occur over a decade, researchers said at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.