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Biomedical subjects

M Thamm

Publications and source records attributed to M Thamm.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Social inequality and smoking behavior in Germany].

Data of the National Health Survey 1998 are used to analyze the impact of alternative indicators of social inequality on smoking of the 18- to 79-year-old population in Germany. The members of socially disadvantaged groups not only smoke more frequently, they show also lower rates in smoking cessation. This is most obvious in middle age while only small differences can be observed at older ages. Multivariate analyses evidence primarily education as a determinant of smoking among men and women. The effects of income and occupational status are fairly small. The results point out that health inequalities can partly be explained by different smoking habits and, therefore, underline the necessity of a differentiated and group-specific tobacco prevention and tobacco control policy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Vitamins--dietary intake and intake from dietary supplements in Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the current vitamin intake and the contribution of dietary supplements to this intake of 4030 participants of the German Nutrition Survey (GeNuS) 1998, which was part of the representative German National Health Interview and Examination Survey (GNHIES), conducted from October 1997 until March 1999. DESIGN: In the GeNuS participants were interviewed comprehensively about their usual diet and supplementation patterns using a modified dietary history. SETTING: Population-based nutritional survey. SUBJECTS: A subsample of 4030 persons, aged 18-79 y, randomly selected from the GNHIES 1998. RESULTS: The contribution of dietary supplements to the vitamin intake reached 5% for vitamin E among men and 6% for vitamin C among women. Among the group of regular users, the contribution to the vitamin E intake is 36% among men and 43% among women. A substantial part of the population does not reach the current recommendations for some vitamins, especially for folate and vitamin E through their diet alone. Among regular supplement users, about one-third for folate and about half for the other vitamins reach the recommended intake only when supplemental intake is considered. Among the regular users of folate supplements, this proportion is about half. CONCLUSION: If reference values are used as preference intake, a substantial population part improves their vitamin intake by taking supplements regularly. Nevertheless, there are persons who stay below the reference values including supplemental intake or already consume more than 100% of recommendation excluding supplemental intake.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Monitoring of iodine in The Child and Adolescent Health Survey].

In the first quarter of 2003 a National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents will be started and carried out over a period of three years. In 11,300 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years a comprehensive iodine monitoring will be realised. The volume of the thyroid gland will be determined sonographically, thyroid hormones and the urinary iodine excretion will be measured. Apart from the nutritional intake of iodine and the use of supplements, socio-demographic and other variables relevant to health will be recorded in a self-administered questionnaire. In the pilot study of the Health Survey for Children and Adolescents from March 2001 to March 2002 the method was tested on 426 children and adolescents and has proved feasible. The sample for the pretest was not representative for the population of children and adolescents in Germany but may already be an indication for the iodine supply. A low goitre prevalence of 4.2% was found. The total thyroid volume correlated significantly with height and weight. There was no significant difference between boys and girls or between a rural and an urban sample point.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[The Child and Adolescent Health Survey: collection of health behavior data from parents and children].

The first German Health Survey for Children and Adolescents will start in 2003. During three years, a representative sample of children and adolescents between 0 and 18 years of age shall be examined and will, together with their parents, be interviewed on health-relevant issues. With this survey, health information on about 18,000 children will be gathered. The health behaviour of the parents as far as their children's health is concerned, as well as the personal health behaviour during adolescence will be assessed, since this will be highly relevant for future health. Questions on nutrition behaviour, eating disorders, alcohol consumption, smoking as well as leisure-time behaviour, with special emphasis on physical activity, will be asked. These questions were tested for feasibility in a one-year pilot study. With this survey, the occurrence of certain unhealthy behaviour characteristics may be documented and risk groups may be identified. This may help to conceptualize prevention measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Validity of DISHES 98, a computerised dietary history interview: energy and macronutrient intake.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the relative validity of a computerised dietary history instrument (DISHES 98). SETTINGS: Munich and Berlin. SUBJECTS: A total of 148 persons aged 19-59 y recruited from two research centres. DESIGN: A relative validation study. Energy and macronutrient intakes obtained with DISHES 98 were compared to those assessed with 3-day weighed dietary records and with a 24 h dietary recall. RESULTS: Intakes of energy, total, saturated and monounsaturated fat, polysaccharides and alcohol were significantly higher and intake of dietary fibre was significantly lower with the 3-day records than with DISHES 98. For intakes of total, animal and vegetable protein, total carbohydrates, mono- and disaccharides and cholesterol the mean difference between DISHES 98 and the 3-day dietary records was less than 5% of the intake with DISHES 98. Pearson's correlation coefficients between DISHES 98 and 3-day records varied from 0.34 for intake of polyunsaturated fat to 0.69 for intake of disaccharides and from 0.27 for polyunsaturated fat to 0.65 for total carbohydrates between DISHES 98 and the 24 h recall. The proportion of participants classified into the same or adjacent quintile of intake varied between 66.9% for polyunsaturated fat and 90.4% for alcohol comparing DISHES 98 and 3-day records and between 60.2% for polyunsaturated fat and 78.4% for total carbohydrates comparing DISHES 98 and 24 h recalls. CONCLUSION: The observed differences between DISHES 98 and the other methods are in an acceptable range for assessing dietary intake in epidemiologic studies.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A comparison of serum total cholesterol levels and their determinants between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States.

Mean serum total cholesterol levels appear to be higher in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) than in the United States (US) while coronary heart disease death rates are lower. The study examined possible factors for the difference including possible differences in laboratory methodology. Cross-sectional data from the first two waves of the German National Health Surveys (1984-1986 and 1987-1989; n = 9709) and from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1976-1980; n = 7832) were compared for men and women 25-69 years of age. The influence of age, body mass index, diet, cigarette smoking, education, income, use of oral contraceptives or antihypertensive agents, alcohol consumption and potential differences in laboratory measurement were explored using multiple regression techniques separately for men and women for ages 25-39, 40-59 and 60-69 years of age. Overall ages, unadjusted mean total cholesterol levels were higher in German than US men (6.02 vs. 5.64 mmol/l) and in German than US women (6.04 vs. 5.80 mmol/l) as were HDL cholesterol levels (men: 1.30 vs 1.14 mmol/l; women: 1.65 vs. 1.38 mmol/l). Adjusting for lifestyle factors explained, on the average, 40% of the differences in mean total cholesterol of which half or 20% was accounted for by adjusting for alcohol intake. Adjusting for possible laboratory differences explained, on the average, an additional 30% of the differences. Frequency of alcohol intake was the most important factor in explaining differences in mean HDL cholesterol levels. Adjustment for differences in alcohol intake had negligible effects on reducing the differences in mean non-HDL cholesterol.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Dietary recommendations and prevailing food and nutrient intakes in Germany.

Dietary recommendations on nutrient intakes as published by the German Society of Nutrition are only met by a very small proportion of the adult population in East and in West Germany. Dietary data from the Nutrition Survey and Risk Factor Analysis Study in West Germany and from the National Health Survey in East Germany were used to identify differences in nutrient intakes and in food consumption patterns between subgroups of the study participants that were close to, or failed to meet the dietary guidelines. The subgroups were created by dividing subjects into quartiles on the basis of their daily intakes of total fat (%energy), saturated fatty acids (%energy), fibre (g/d) and the food group fruit and vegetables (g/d). Comparisons of the consumption patterns between subjects in the first and in the fourth quartile of intake of the nutrients under study were performed. Differences in food and nutrient intakes were seen among those more compliant and less compliant with the recommendations. The presented analysis provides first indications for future improvements of the existing food-based dietary guidelines in Germany.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Omega-3 fatty acids in adipose tissue and risk of myocardial infarction: the EURAMIC study.

Omega-3 fatty acids have potential antiatherogenic, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic properties, but their role in coronary heart disease remains controversial. To evaluate the association of omega-3 fatty acids in adipose tissue with the risk of myocardial infarction in men, a case-control study was conducted in eight European countries and Israel. Cases (n=639) included patients with a first myocardial infarction admitted to coronary care units within 24 hours from the onset of symptoms. Controls (n=700) were selected to represent the populations originating the cases. Adipose tissue levels of fatty acids were determined by capillary gas chromatography. The mean (+/-SD) proportion of alpha-linolenic acid was 0.77% (+/-0.19) of fatty acids in cases and 0.80% (+/-0.19) of fatty acids in controls (P=0.01). The relative risk for the highest quintile of alpha-linolenic acid compared with the lowest was 0.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22 to 0.81, P-trend=0.02). After adjusting for classical risk factors, the relative risk for the highest quintile was 0.68 (95% CI 0.31 to 1.49, P-trend=0.38). The mean proportion of docosahexaenoic acid was 0.24% (+/-0.13) of fatty acids in cases and 0.25% (+/-0.13) of fatty acids in controls (P=0. 14), with no evidence of association with risk of myocardial infarction. In this large case-control study we could not detect a protective effect of docosahexaenoic acid on the risk of myocardial infarction. The protective effect of alpha-linolenic acid was attenuated after adjusting for classical risk factors (mainly smoking), but it deserves further research.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1999

[Blood pressure in Germany--current status and trends].

The blood pressure measurements performed in the course of the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998 showed higher levels in men compared to women and higher levels in the Eastern part of Germany as compared to the West. Generally, blood pressure increased with age. The prevalence of hypertension was higher in men, reaching almost 30%, as compared to women (26.9%), and higher in the East compared to the West. A comparison of data of 1998 and data of the Health Examination Survey East-West 1991 reveals an increase in the incidence of hypertension in the West and a decrease in the East. This seems to imply a convergence of the two regions on a high level.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Nutrition in Germany 1998].

In addition to the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey, the German Nutrition Survey 1998 (GeNuS) was conducted in a subsample of 4030 participants. Among these persons, a comprehensive dietary interview was performed with use of the software DISHES 98. The proportion of 33-34% energy from fat is considerably less than the 40% energy from fat which was estimated about ten years ago. In general, the supply of most vitamins, minerals and trace elements is sufficient. For a part of the population, the intake of dietary fibre, vitamins D and E, folate, zinc, iodine and, among women, also vitamins B1, B2, B6, iron and phosphorus is on a suboptimal level. Observed differences in dietary habits in the eastern and western part of Germany did not have an obviously more favourable dietary pattern in any part of Germany.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Folic acid intake of women in childbearing age].

An optimal maternal folate status reduces the risk of neural tube defects in the offspring. In the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey, red cell folate and serum folate levels have been measured in 1,266 women aged between 18 and 40 years. Applying the dietary assessment software DISHES 98 made it possible to estimate the individual folate intake. A high proportion of the participants showed sub-optimal red cell folate levels as well as folate intakes below the recommendations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Adipose tissue omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content and breast cancer in the EURAMIC study. European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Breast Cancer.

The fatty acid content of adipose tissue in postmenopausal breast cancer cases and controls from five European countries in the European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer (EURAMIC) breast cancer study (1991-1992) was used to explore the hypothesis that fatty acids of the omega-3 family inhibit breast cancer and that the degree of inhibition depends on background levels of omega-6 polyunsaturates. Considered in isolation, the level of omega-3 or omega-6 fat in adipose tissue displayed little consistent association with breast cancer across study centers. The ratio of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids to total omega-6 fat showed an inverse association with breast cancer in four of five centers. In Malaga, Spain, the odds ratio for the highest tertile relative to the lowest reached 0.32 (95% confidence interval 0.13-0.82). In this center, total omega-6 fatty acid was strongly associated with breast cancer. With all centers pooled, the odds ratio for long-chain omega-3 to total omega-6 reached 0.80 for the second tertile and 0.65 for the third tertile, a downward trend bordering on statistical significance (p for trend = 0.055). While not definitive, these results provide evidence for the hypothesis that the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fat may play a role in breast cancer.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1998

Intake of fruits, vegetables, folic acid and related nutrients and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of fruit and vegetable consumption and dietary intake of folic acid and related nutrients such as methionine, cysteine and alcohol in the aetiology of breast cancer. DESIGN: Population based case-control study. SETTING: Part of the European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC) in Berlin, Germany. SUBJECTS: As part of the EURAMIC study, dietary intake data were collected in 43 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1991 and 1992 in Berlin, Germany, and compared to 106 population-based controls. RESULTS: Odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for major risk factors of breast cancer but not for total energy intake showed a non-significant inverse association between a high intake of vegetables (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.48-1.20) and fruits (OR=0.74, 95% CI=0.48-1.15) and breast cancer. Once results were adjusted for total energy intake the associations became much weaker (vegetables: R=0.86, 95% CI=0.51-1.46; fruits: OR=0.82, 95% CI=0.51-1.32). For all nutrients, the effect of energy adjustment was more profound and the inverse associations disappeared when results were adjusted for energy intake (total folate-not energy adjusted: OR = 0.79, 95% CI=0.51-1.21; energy adjusted: OR=1.14, 95% CI=0.73-1.79; folate equivalents-not energy adjusted: OR=0.81, 95% CI=0.53-1.23; energy adjusted: OR=1.16, 95% CI=0.78-1.74; methionine-not energy adjusted: OR=0.60, 95% CI=0.35-1.03; energy adjusted: OR=1.29, 95% CI=0.76-2.19; cysteine-not energy adjusted: OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.29-0.94; energy adjusted: OR=1.22, 95% CI=0.75-1.97). Alcohol intake was inversely associated with breast cancer in a non-significant way, possibly due to the relatively low alcohol intake of the study population. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study do not provide firm evidence that a high intake of fruits and vegetables, folic acid, methionine or cysteine reduces the risk of getting breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Tissue stores of individual monounsaturated fatty acids and breast cancer: the EURAMIC study. European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Breast Cancer.

The strongest evidence that monunsaturated fat may influence breast cancer risk comes from studies of southern European populations, in whom intake of oleic acid sources, particularly olive oil, appears protective. No previous study has examined the relation of adipose tissue fatty acid content to breast cancer in such a population. We used adipose biopsies with diverse fat intake patterns gathered in 5 European centers, including southern Europe (Malaga, Spain), to test the hypothesis that stores of oleic acid or other monounsaturates are inversely associated with breast cancer. Gluteal fat aspirates were obtained from 291 postmenopausal incident breast cancer patients and 351 control subjects, frequency-matched for age and catchment area. Logistic regression was used to model breast cancer by monounsaturates, with established risk factors controlled for. Oleic acid showed a strong inverse association with breast cancer in the Spanish center. The odds ratio for the difference between 75th and 25th percentiles was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.28, 0.58) in Malaga and 1.27 (0.88, 1.85) in all other centers pooled, with a peak at 2.36 (1.01, 5.50) for Zeist. Palmitoleic and myristoleic acids showed evidence of an inverse association outside Spain, and cis-vaccenic acid showed a positive association in 3 centers. These data do not support the hypothesis that increasing tissue stores of oleic acid are protective against breast cancer in non-Spanish populations. This finding implies that the strong protective associations reported for olive oil intake in dietary studies may be due to some other protective components of the oil and not to the direct effect of oleic acid uptake. Alternatively, high olive oil intake may indicate some other protective aspect of the lifestyle of these women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1998

Differences between plasma and adipose tissue biomarkers of carotenoids and tocopherols.

Biomarkers of dietary exposure or nutritional status are sought actively to overcome limitations of traditional dietary methodology. We compared plasma and adipose tissue biomarkers for carotenoids and tocopherols. The data consisted of samples from 91 men and 122 women, ages 45-70 years, from the control group of the European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC) Study. Pearson correlations between plasma and adipose tissue measurements for beta-carotene, lycopene, and alpha-tocopherol adjusted for smoking status displayed low, although significant, correlations of 0.39, 0.24, and 0.39, respectively. The correlation was further stratified by sex. After being corrected for measurement error using deattenuation factors obtained from a reproducibility study, the stratified correlation coefficients were as high as 0.80 for beta-carotene in men, 0.62 for lycopene in women, and 0.52 for alpha-tocopherol in women. In addition, plasma and adipose tissue measurements from the myocardial infarction (MI) subset of the EURAMIC study population were used to evaluate the odds of MI, adjusting for confounders. We found that the concentration of lycopene in plasma was not positively associated significantly with MI (odds ratio, 1.78; P = 0.26). Adipose tissue lycopene, in contrast to reports elsewhere on the total population, showed an inverse association with MI (odds ratio, 0.62; P = 0.15). These results suggest that plasma and adipose carotenoids represent different markers for nutritional status and cannot be used interchangeably in epidemiological and dietary validation studies.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EURAMIC Study.

A multicenter case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relations between antioxidant status assessed by biomarkers and acute myocardial infarction. Incidence cases and frequency matched controls were recruited from 10 European countries to maximize the variance in exposure within the study. Adipose tissue needle aspiration biopsies were taken shortly after the infarction and analyzed for levels of carotenoids and tocopherols. An examination of colinearity including all covariates and the three carotenoids, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene, showed that the variables were sufficiently independent to model simultaneously. When examined singularly, each of the carotenoids appeared to be protective. Upon simultaneous analyses of the carotenoids, however, using conditional logistic regression models that controlled for age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, smoking, hypertension, and maternal and paternal history of disease, lycopene remained independently protective, with an odds ratio of 0.52 for the contrast of the 10th and 90th percentiles (95% confidence interval 0.33-0.82, p = 0.005). The associations for alpha- and beta-carotene were largely eliminated. We conclude that lycopene, or some substance highly correlated which is in a common food source, may contribute to the protective effect of vegetable consumption on myocardial infarction risk.

Adipose Tissue↗