Body weight, physical activity and cancer.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Body Weight↗
Biomedical subjects
K Overvad
Publications and source records attributed to K Overvad.
Articular cartilage lesions and anterior knee pain.
The present case-control study included as cases 24 athletes with anterior knee pain, and 17 controls, matching the cases according to gender and age. All cases had their most symptomatic knee examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Among controls one knee was chosen for examination at random. The MRI of the patella showed articular cartilage lesions in 17 out of 24 cases, whereas among the controls 4 out of 17 had articular cartilage lesions. (Odds Ratio 7.9 (95% confidence interval 1.9-33)). However, presence of articular cartilage lesions was not associated with duration of symptoms or intensity of the anterior knee pain. The present study showed a significant positive association between presence of articular cartilage lesions in the patella and presence of anterior knee pain, but further studies are needed to examine the relationship in detail.
Adult↗
Type of alcohol and drinking pattern in 56, 970 Danish men and women.
OBJECTIVE: To describe drinking patterns among individuals who prefer drinking wine, beer or spirits. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study obtaining detailed information on intake of wine, beer and spirits and on frequency of alcohol intake. Adjustment for gender, age, smoking habits, educational attainment and body mass index. SETTING: Denmark. SUBJECTS: 27, 151 men and 29, 819 women, randomly selected from Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Drinking pattern-steady or binge drinking. RESULTS: A vast majority (71%) of both men and women preferred wine or beer. At all levels of total alcohol intake, beer drinkers were most likely to be frequent drinkers. Thus, light drinkers of beer had an odds ratio for being frequent drinkers of 1.97 (95% confidence limits 1.50-2.58) as compared to light drinkers of wine (total alcohol intake 3-30 drinks per month), while people who preferred beer had an odds ratio of 1. 29 (1.19-1.40) compared with wine drinkers in the moderate drinking category (31-134 drinks per month). There were no significant differences in total alcohol intake between individuals preferring different alcoholic beverages. CONCLUSION: If binge drinking is less healthy than steady drinking, the relation between wine intake and coronary heart disease mortality could be subject to negative confounding, since beer drinkers seem to have the most sensible drinking pattern. SPONSORSHIP: Danish Cancer Society and the Danish National Board of Health. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000) 54, 174-176
Alcohol Drinking↗
A cross-sectional study of dietary habits and urinary glucose excretion - a predictor of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between consumption of certain foods and macronutrients and urinary glucose excretion, which is a predictor of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study, Denmark, 1993-97. SUBJECTS: Participants in the Danish study 'Diet, Cancer and Health'. After exclusion of persons with postprandial urine samples and persons with diabetes or other diseases potentially resulting in glycosuria, the study population included 14 743 men and 18 064 women aged 50-64 y. We identified 183 men and 43 women with glucose in their urine. RESULTS: Consumption of poultry was negatively associated with glycosuria in both men (odds ratio, OR=0.87; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI=0.77-0.98) and women (OR=0.69; 0.48-1.00). Fiber from fruit showed a weak negative association with glycosuria in both men (0. 95; 0.90-1.01) and women (0.89; 0.78-1.02), whereas a significant negative association with total fiber (0.68; 0.51-0.91) and fiber from vegetables (0.94; 0.88-0.99) was seen in men. Intake of fish tended to reduce the risk of glycosuria in women only (0.80; 0.63-1. 02), whereas ingestion of milk products increased their risk significantly (1.15; 1.06-1.24). CONCLUSION: Although statistical significance and consistency in the two sexes were not achieved for all end-points, the study indicates a protective effect of dietary products like poultry, fruit and cereals against glycosuria and suggests a promoting effect of milk. SPONSORSHIP: The Danish National Board of Health and the Danish Cancer Society.
Animals↗
Coenzyme Q10 in health and disease.
The literature concerning the importance of coenzyme Q10 in health and disease has been reviewed. Usual dietary intake together with normal in vivo synthesis seems to fulfil the demands for Q10 in healthy individuals. The importance of Q10 supplementation for general health has not been investigated in controlled experiments. The literature allows no firm conclusions about the significance of Q10 in physical activity. In different cardiovascular diseases, including cardiomyopathy, relatively low levels of Q10 in myocardial tissue have been reported. Positive clinical and haemodynamic effects of oral Q10 supplementation have been observed in double-blind trials, especially in chronic heart failure. These effects should be further examined. No important adverse effects have been reported from experiments using daily supplements of up to 200 mg Q10 for 6-12 months and 100 mg daily for up to 6 y.
Cardiovascular Diseases↗
Wine intake and diet in a random sample of 48763 Danish men and women.
BACKGROUND: Variation in diet associated with drinking patterns may explain why wine seems to reduce ischemic heart disease mortality. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to study the association between intake of different alcoholic beverages and selected indicators of a healthy diet. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark, from 1995 to 1997, and included 23 284 men and 25 479 women aged 50-64 y. The main outcome measures were groups of selected foods that were indicators of a healthy dietary pattern. RESULTS: Wine, as compared with other alcoholic drinks, was associated with a higher intake of fruit, fish, cooked vegetables, salad, and the use of olive oil for cooking in both men and women. Men who preferred beer and spirits had odds ratios of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.45) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.60), respectively, for a high intake of salad compared with those who preferred wine. Higher wine intake was associated with a higher intake of healthy food items compared with intake of < or = 2.5 glasses of wine/mo; odds ratios for drinkers of between 30 and 135 glasses of wine/mo for all the chosen indicators of healthy diet varied between 1.23 and 4.20, and were all strongly significant. CONCLUSION: Wine drinking is associated with an intake of a healthy diet. This finding may have implications for the interpretation of previous reports of the relation between type of alcoholic beverage and mortality.
Beer↗
Sex ratio of offspring of diabetics.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Denmark↗
A woman's build and the risk of breast cancer.
A woman's build and the risk of breast cancer seem to be related. While relative overweight, as described by the body mass index, seems to be associated with increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, overweight in premenopausal women seems slightly protective. Papers from a MEDLINE search are reviewed regarding the association between build and the development of breast cancer. Different aspects of build, such as height, weight, body mass index and body shape, are discussed. The more prominent associations found through this search are a positive association between height and breast cancer risk both in pre- and postmenopausal women. Regarding body mass index, the association is negative in premenopausal women and positive in postmenopausal women. Body shape described as masculine versus feminine seems to have no impact on breast cancer risk in premenopausal women, but seems to be positively associated with breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Possible biological mechanisms responsible for the associations with breast cancer risk are discussed, including endogenous oestrogens, androgens and glucose metabolic substances. Avoiding or reducing postmenopausal overweight may modify breast cancer risk indicators in a more favourable direction.
Body Mass Index↗
Nicotine patches in smoking cessation: a randomized trial among over-the-counter customers in Denmark.
The authors examined the effect of 24-hour nicotine patches in smoking cessation among over-the-counter customers in Denmark, based on a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Participants were consecutive customers to whom nicotine patches were offered as the only treatment. Forty-two pharmacies in the areas of Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark participated in the trial, and 522 customers who smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day were randomized to either nicotine patches or placebo from January to March 1994. Customers with chronic diseases and pregnant or breastfeeding women were excluded from the trial. Twenty-four-hour patches were offered free of charge during a 3-month period. Those smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day started on a dose of 21-mg/day patches. Customers who smoked less started on patches of 14 mg/day; and for all of the participants, the dose was gradually reduced to 7-mg/day patches during the study period. Smoking behavior and compliance were recorded by means of self-administered questionnaires and telephone interviews. Smoking status was recorded in intervals of 4 weeks, which was fixed to be a treatment period, and 26 weeks after inclusion. There was a significant increase in smoking cessation rates after 8 weeks of follow-up but only among smokers who started on 21-mg/day patches. There was a marked placebo effect at each time of contact during the trial, especially in those smoking fewer than 20 cigarettes per day. Although the noncompliance rate was high overall due to discontinuation in the use of patches by relapsed smokers, noncompliance among successful quitters was low. More side effects were seen in the nicotine group than in the placebo group, but none of the reported side effects were serious. It appears that regular healthy smokers who were customers of nonprescribed nicotine patches and who received 21-mg/day nicotine patches benefited from the active treatment (44.1% stopped smoking after 4 weeks), but almost as many stopped smoking in the placebo group (37.3% after 4 weeks). No significant differences in smoking cessation rates were seen among smokers who started with the low-dose nicotine or placebo patches.
Administration, Cutaneous↗
Reproducibility and relative validity of a self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire applied to younger women.
We have evaluated the reproducibility and relative validity of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in a prospective study of risk factors for cervical neoplasia. The questionnaire is a modified version of one developed and evaluated in a middle-aged Danish population. In the present study, 122 women from the general population of Copenhagen, aged 20-29 years, completed the FFQ twice at a 1-year interval, and provided three 4-day dietary records during the intervening year. The mean nutrient intakes calculated from the first and second questionnaire were similar and, for most nutrients, close to those obtained from the dietary records. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the mean nutrient intakes from the two questionnaires ranged from 0.53 (95% CI, 0.39-0.65) for vitamin E to 0.76 (95% CI, 0.67-0.83) for vitamin B12 (median, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.56-0.76]). In comparisons between the second FFQ and the dietary records, the correlations ranged from 0.24 (95% CI, 0.07-0.40) for vitamin D to 0.63 (95% CI, 0.51-0.73) for sucrose (median, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.26-0.561). The correlations between FFQ and dietary records were generally higher after adjustment for energy intake (median, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.39-0.65]) and within-person variability (median, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.52-0.73]). On average, 71% of the women were classified in the same (+/- 1) quintile in the second FFQ and the dietary records. An average of 3.8% of the women were grossly misclassified into the highest and lowest quintiles by the dietary records. The relative validity of the FFQ in this population was similar to that reported earlier. It is concluded that the FFQ is reproducible and provides a useful scale for categorizing individuals according to their intake of energy and nutrients.
Adult↗
Importance of diet and sex in prevention of coronary artery disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and overweight or underweight: a study of attitudes and practices of Danish primary care physicians.
General practitioners (GPs) in Denmark (n = 374) answered a questionnaire on attitudes toward including information on diet and sex in the prevention of coronary artery disease, cancers, osteoporosis, and weight problems. Risk factors for disease were ranked as follows: smoking, alcohol, stress, diet, physical exercise, heredity, and hygiene. Patients' lack of motivation, insufficient time for each patient, and inadequate knowledge about nutrition were listed by GPs as barriers to dietary counseling. GPs stated that the sex of the patient was important only for counseling on osteoporosis. Lack of time and insufficient knowledge were perceived as barriers to including sex-specific issues in prevention. One-half of the GPs were questioned about the issue of prevention on the basis of female case stories and the other half on the basis of male case stories with identical wording. Responses to the case stories indicated that GPs would give dietary guidance and recommend loss of weight to slightly overweight male patients to a much greater degree than to overweight female patients for prevention of coronary artery disease, give dietary counseling and recommend loss of weight and exercise to female patients more than to male patients for prevention of cancers, recommend a supplement of calcium and vitamin D for prevention of osteoporosis to female patients, and recommend weight gain and discuss psychosocial issues more with underweight female patients than with underweight male patients. Female GPs included measures of prevention such as dietary counseling, exercise prescription, dietary supplement prescription, and discussion of psychosocial issues to a greater extent than did male GPs.
Adolescent↗
Avoidable cancers in the Nordic countries. Diet, obesity and low physical activity.
In the early 1980s, Doll and Peto estimated that about 35% of all deaths from cancer in the United States were attributable to dietary factors, with a margin of uncertainty ranging from 10 to 70%. Since then, several dietary factors, e.g. fat and meat, have been suggested to increase the risk for cancer, while other factors, e.g. fibre, fruit and vegetables, have been suggested to decrease the risk. The case-control and cohort studies have, however, given ambiguous results, and the overall evidence is far from conclusive. The major findings on dietary factors that increase risk have been reported from case-control studies, but have not been confirmed in large population-based cohort studies. Although the research in this area indicates that diet is important in cancer prevention, current knowledge does not allow reliable estimates of the numbers and proportions of cancers that could be avoided through well-described modifications of dietary habits. During the last 10 years, low physical activity has been pinpointed as a risk factor for cancers at various sites, especially the colon; however, the causal mechanism is still unknown. Obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 or more, is consistently associated with endometrial and gall-bladder cancers in women and renal-cell cancer in both men and women. As the prevalence of obesity was between 5 and almost 20% in the Nordic populations in 1995, 625 cancer cases (310 endometrial cancers, 270 renal-cell cancers in men and women and 45 gall-bladder and bile-duct cancers among women) can be predicted in the Nordic countries around the year 2000 to be caused by obesity. This implies that about 1% of all cancers in Nordic women and less than 1% of those in Nordic men could be avoided around the year 2000 if a healthy body weight could be maintained by all inhabitants.
Diet↗
Dietary risk factors for renal cell carcinoma in Denmark.
The role of diet in the aetiology of renal cell carcinoma was investigated in a population-based case-control study in Denmark. Cases were 20-79 years old, with a histologically verified diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Controls were sampled from the general population and were frequency-matched on age and sex. A total of 351 cases (73% of the eligible) and 340 controls (68% of the eligible) were included in the study. Dietary information was obtained in a self-administered food frequency questionnaire and the information was confirmed in a subsequent interview performed by trained interviewers who also elicited information on other suspected risk factors such as smoking, occupation, medical history, education and reproductive history. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratios, and, both frequency of consumption of various food stuffs and computed nutrients were examined. A positive association was observed between risk of renal cell carcinoma and total energy intake (odds ratio, OR, for highest quartile compared to lowest: 1.7 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.0-3.0) for men, and 3.5 (95% CI 1.6-6.5) for women), fat intake (OR for highest quartile compared to lowest: 1.9 (95% CI 1.1-3.5) for men, and 3.3 (95% CI 1.6-6.9) for women). For women, an effect was also seen for intake of carbohydrates (OR for highest quartile compared to lowest: 3.2 (95% CI 1.5-6.8), while no protective effect was seen for vegetables or fruit. Dairy products may be associated with risk of renal cell cancer (OR for women using thickly spread butter compared to thinly spread: 11.4 (95% CI 2.8-45), OR for women who drank more than one glass of milk with 3.5% fat content compared to never drink milk: 3.7 (95% CI 1.2-11). As expected, total energy intake, intake of fat, protein and carbohydrates were closely correlated making it difficult to identify one of the energy sources as more closely associated with risk of renal cell cancer than the other. Several energy sources have been identified as possible risk factors for renal cell carcinoma. It is possible that a high energy intake as such rather than the individual sources are responsible for the increased risk. Furthermore, dairy fats may be associated with renal cell carcinoma risk. The observed associations appeared stronger in women, and did not explain the association with obesity and low socio-economic status previously found in Denmark.
Adult↗
Iodine. Do we need an enrichment program in Denmark?
A working group was established to evaluate the need for iodine enrichment in Denmark. Judged from studies of urinary iodine excretion and one dietary survey the intake of iodine in Denmark is low compared with recommended intakes. The occurrence of non-toxic goitre is relatively high; between 9 and 13% in elderly women. Furthermore, a high occurrence of toxic goitre has been seen in the western part of Denmark. On the other hand, an increased or a high intake of iodine may lead to hyperthyroidism and thyroiditis. The working group concluded that an increase in iodine intake in the Danish population is needed and the best way to achieve this is to iodize all salt. To avoid side effects of a sudden large increase in iodine intake the initial amount of iodine in salt will only be 2 ppm.
Animals↗
The effect of treadmill exercise on azoxymethane-induced intestinal neoplasia in the male Fischer rat on two different high-fat diets.
A total of 120 eight-week-old male rats were exposed to azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body wt in saline s.c.) on Days 1, 4, and 8. Two days after the last injection of carcinogen, the rats were randomized into four experimental groups: two groups were given a chow high in corn oil (23% corn oil) and two groups a chow high in coconut oil (21% coconut oil and 2% corn oil). One group on each chow was kept sedentary, and one group was exposed to moderate exercise, running 2 km/day on weekdays for 38 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the exercising and sedentary rats fed coconut oil were significantly heavier than those fed corn oil. Among the rats fed the high-fat corn oil diet, exercise reduced the number of animals developing carcinomas in the colon (sedentary, 10; exercise, 0) and in the small intestine (sedentary, 5; exercise, 0). The same tendency was observed in the rats fed the coconut oil diet: colon (sedentary, 6; exercise, 3) and small intestine (sedentary, 3; exercise, 2). In the sedentary rats fed the high corn oil diet, 16 intestinal carcinomas were recorded; none were found in the exercised group. In the rats fed the high coconut oil diet, nine carcinomas were recorded in the sedentary groups as opposed to five in the exercised rats. Rats fed the high-fat coconut oil developed significantly fewer neoplasms than the rats fed the equally high-fat corn oil diet.
Animals↗
Validity of individual portion size estimates in a food frequency questionnaire.
BACKGROUND: Dietary surveys often rely upon subjects' ability to estimate their portion sizes instead of weighing them, but information on the validity of such estimates is lacking. This study investigated the validity of estimated portion sizes from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire including photos. METHODS: Validity was evaluated by comparison with portion sizes from 14-day weighed food records. Eight sets of photos were included in the study (three meat dishes, one fish dish, three vegetables, potatoes), each set with four options. Subjects (59 men, 85 women) were 40-64 years. RESULTS: The majority of subjects (85-95%) selected the most correct photo or a neighbouring photo. However, regression analyses showed that the relationship between the estimated and the measured portion sizes was relatively weak for most of the foods tested, and correlations were only significant for three of the eight foods. This apparent contradiction was partly due to the pattern of the error: subjects selecting small portions had underestimated their actual portions while subjects selecting large portions had overestimated them. This error pattern could not be explained by the theoretical error resulting from the use of four discrete portion sizes instead of continuous weights, neither was it a simple consequence of the unidirectional errors at the extreme ends. Actual portion sizes varied from day to day, with intra-individual coefficients of variation of 34-40%. CONCLUSIONS: The photos used in the present study were of limited value for ranking individuals correctly according to their actual portion sizes. Whether this is a common feature of photos used in food frequency questionnaires remains to be answered.
Adult↗
Copper in human mammary carcinogenesis: a case-cohort study.
In 1968-1975, a cohort of 5,100 ostensibly healthy women was established on the island of Guernsey, England, for investigation of the influence of hormonal factors on breast cancer. At the women's entry into the study, blood samples were drawn from each participant, and each woman completed a questionnaire that provided information on established risk indicators in human mammary carcinogenesis. Plasma copper levels were measured in 46 breast cancer cases diagnosed an average of 11 years (standard deviation (SD), 4) after entry into the study cohort and in an age-stratified random sample of 138 women drawn from the total initial cohort at risk. Plasma copper levels were 1.31 mg/liter (SD, 0.37) in the cases and 1.26 mg/liter (SD, 0.36) in the controls; the 95% confidence interval for the overall difference was -0.07 to 0.17. A U-shaped relation between premorbid plasma copper levels and the risk of developing breast cancer was seen. Adjusted odds ratios for breast cancer were 1.8, 1.0, 1.6, and 3.2, respectively, in the four quartiles of the copper distribution. No major changes in the risk estimates were observed when statistical evaluation was restricted to cases diagnosed more than 10 years after collection of blood samples.
Adult↗