Diet History Interview Research Articles

Role of various carotenoids in lung cancer prevention.

Role of various carotenoids in lung cancer prevention.

Dietary and non-dietary factors associated with iron status in a cohort of Danish adults followed for six years.

To examine the association between food intake and serum ferritin over time. Two hundred and thirty-eight individuals, at baseline aged 35, 45, 55 and 65 y, had their food intake assessed by a short food frequency questionnaire and a diet history interview, and serum ferritin measured, first in 1987/88, and again in 1993/94. The County of Copenhagen, Denmark. Apart from intake frequencies of alcoholic beverages dietary items were poor predictors of serum ferritin. Besides food intake serum ferritin was associated with blood donation in men, and with menopausal status in women. For this middle-aged population, information on alcohol intake and blood loss may be used to rank individuals in relation to iron status, whereas information on intake frequency of dietary items may not.

Food patterns, flour fortification, and intakes of calcium and vitamin D: a longitudinal study of Danish adults.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D intakes are involved in the aetiology of osteoporosis, and health authorities recommend that the population consume a diet providing sufficient calcium and...

Food patterns associated with intakes of fat, carbohydrate and dietary fibre in a cohort of Danish adults followed for six years.

To examine associations between food consumption patterns, measured by a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and the intakes of fat, carbohydrates and fibre over time, and in relation to recommended guidelines. The same 329 individuals had their diet intake measured by a short FFQ and a thorough diet history interview, first in 1987/88, and again six years later in 1993/94. The County of Copenhagen, Denmark. Three hundred and twenty-nine men and women, aged 35-65 y selected randomly from a large population sample. At both examinations fat energy displayed the strongest positive associations with the intake of animal fats and negative correlations with the vegetables. These food items explained most of the total explained variation in fat intake. In general the associations between food items and intakes of carbohydrates and fibre were similar but inverse, to those found for fat. During the study period median fat energy decreased from 41-38%. A less frequent intake of animal fats over time predicted an increase in fat energy both among men and women, while a more frequent intake of fruit and pasta, and a less frequent intake of cakes was associated with an increase in dietary fibre. Food items like animal fats, vegetables and certain high starch foods can predict compliance to dietary guidelines for fat and carbohydrates. The study also shows that the food pattern of this Danish cohort has changed in the direction of a more healthy diet during the six years of follow-up. This study was granted by the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary and Danish Medical Councils and the Danish Health Insurance foundation.

Low-fat diets may prevent weight gain in sedentary women: prospective observations from the population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden is an ongoing prospective study of female residents who were recruited from the local registry in 1968-1969 when they were 38-60 years old. The data presented here were collected from 361 healthy women who underwent a baseline physical examination including a supplementary dietary history interview and returned for a second general health examination 6 years later. This report identifies a subgroup of 57 women who were sedentary during their leisure time and appear to have been particularly susceptible to gaining weight as a function of the fat content of their diets. Specifically, longitudinal analysis of body weights in the whole sample revealed a statistical interaction between leisure-time physical activity and habitual dietary fat intake (energy%), as reported at the baseline examination, in the prediction of subsequent weight change. Further stratified analysis suggested that weight changes were significantly dependent on dietary fat intake among the sedentary women only. High energy intake also predicted weight gain in the sedentary group, although the predictive value for a high-fat diet was of marginal significance after adjusting for total energy consumption. These results suggest that sedentary recreational activity plus a low-fat diet may have a combined contribution to weight change that is not equivalent to the sum of the separate effects. Such a synergy between two modifiable lifestyle factors seems highly relevant for prevention of obesity.

Elderly patients» meal patterns—a retrospective study

The aim of this study was to examine possible causes of malnutrition in geriatric patients on admission to hospital by evaluation and comparison of their meal pattern between periods of working, retirement and hospitalization, respectively. Forty‐five consecutive patients aged 60 years or older participated. By use of modified dietary history interviews, a retrospective assessment of food intake was carried out. A qualitative system for meal classification was then applied. In the retirement period there was a strong reduction in daily eating frequency when compared to working and hospital periods. Thus, the daily intake and also distribution of energy and nutrients seem to be reduced during retirement, which might lead to nutritional deficiency.

Dietary intakes of nitrate, nitrite and NDMA in the Finnish mobile clinic health examination survey

Concern about potential health hazards of nitrate, nitrite and N-nitroso compounds necessitates calculations of exposures to these compounds and their distribution in normal populations. This study describes dietary intake of nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) among 5304 adult men and 4750 women, who participated in the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health Examination Survey in 1967-72. Food consumption data for each individual over the preceding year were collected by a dietary history interview. Intakes of nitrate, nitrite and NDMA from vegetables, fruits, cheese, meat and fish products were calculated using available values mainly derived from Finland and other countries in northern Europe. Nitrate and nitrite from drinking water were not included in the study. Mean daily dietary intake of nitrate was 77 mg, of nitrite 5.3 mg, and of NDMA 0.05 microgram respectively. Intake of NDMA from beer, estimated in a part of the study population, was 0.07 microgram per day. More than 90% of dietary nitrate was derived from vegetables, including potatoes. Nitrite was mainly provided by cured meat products. Cured meat products and smoked and salted fish were important food sources of NDMA. The total daily intake of nitrate was similar in men and women, whereas intakes of nitrite and NDMA were higher in men than in women. The diet of farmers was characterized by lower amounts of nitrate, nitrite and NDMA, whereas white collar workers and those employed in industry had higher intakes. Current smokers were exposed to higher dietary intakes of nitrate, nitrite and NDMA than non-smokers. Intakes of dietary nitrate, nitrite and NDMA estimated on an individual level are suggested to be useful in evaluating the health effects of these compounds in epidemiological studies.

Relationship between dietary iron intake, corrected for diet reporting error, and serum ferritin in Danish women aged 35-65 years.

Several studies have failed to demonstrate an association between Fe status and intake of dietary Fe. However, in the long term, it seems logical to presume that body Fe reserves are, fundamentally, dependent on the intake of bioavailable dietary Fe. This discrepancy may depend on several factors: (1) interindividual variation in biological availability of dietary Fe (differences in intestinal absorption), (2) interactions between dietary Fe and absorption enhancers and inhibitors, (3) variations in physiological (menstruation, childbirth) or unphysiological (blood donation) Fe losses, (4) the failure to adjust dietary intake data for Fe supplements, (5) uncertain food composition data (discrepancies between calculated and chemically measured Fe content in the diet), and (6) diet reporting error (reported intake of dietary Fe may deviate considerably from the true intake). The present study examined associations between dietary intake of Fe (assessed by diet history interview) and Fe status (assessed by ferritin status) among 167 Danish women aged 35-65 years, who were not blood donors, by taking into account diet reporting error (assessed from p-amino benzoic acid-validated urinary N), physiological blood losses (menstruation, childbirth, abortions), and Fe supplementation. Our results indicate that the lack of a general association between Fe status and dietary Fe intake may, in part, be caused by selective diet reporting error.

Intake of dairy products and the risk of breast cancer

The relationship between intake of dairy products and risk of breast cancer was studied in 4697 initially cancer-free women, aged 15 years or over. During a 25 year follow-up period after the collection of food consumption data, 88 breast cancers were diagnosed. Intakes of foods were calculated from dietary history interviews covering the habitual diet of examinees over the preceding year. There was a significant inverse gradient between milk intake and incidence of breast cancer, the age-adjusted relative risk of breast cancer being 0.42 (95% confidence interval=0.24-0.74) between the highest and lowest tertiles of milk consumption. The associations with respect to other dairy products were not significant. Adjustment for potential confounding factors, i.e. smoking, body mass index, number of childbirths, occupation and geographic area, resulted in only a minor change in the milk intake-breast cancer relation. Nor did adjustment for intake of other foodstuffs and nutrients, e.g. energy, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and trace elements, alter the results. No significant interactions between milk intake and demographic or dietary variables or time of cancer diagnosis were observed. Our data suggest that there is a protective effect, dietary or habitual, associated with consumption of milk that overwhelms the associations between different other factors and risk of breast cancer.

The validity of a short food frequency questionnaire and its ability to measure changes in food intake: a longitudinal study.

In studies of health behaviour exploring factors associated with differences and changes in eating patterns of populations, diet is often measured with short food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). This study examines the validity of a short FFQ by comparing frequencies of food intake from the FFQ to information on food intake obtained by a diet history interview. Food intake was measured at two separate occasions in the same 329 individuals, first in 1987-1988 and 6 years later in 1993-1994. In 1987-1988 the Spearman correlation coefficients were around r = 0.50 for most foods, with white and dark ryebread and light bread as extremes on the one hand (r = 0.10, r = 0.23 and r = 0.27, respectively) and coarse bread, fruit and cakes as extremes on the other (r = 0.61, r = 0.60, r = 0.60, respectively). In general, the correlations were higher at the second data collection in 1993-1994. At both data collections, the mean food intake from the diet history interview increased with increasing frequency category, indicating that the questionnaire was able to identify levels of food intake correctly. In general, when individual changes in food intake were assessed during the study period, those who reported a less frequent intake by the FFQ in 1993-1994 compared with 1987-1988 also had a lower mean daily intake according to the diet history information. The short FFQ can quantify food intakes and, is also responsive to changes in food intake over time. Thus the short FFQ can be used to monitor changes in food patterns at a group level.

Dietary fat intake and weight gain in women genetically predisposed for obesity

The influence of dietary fat intake on subsequent change in body mass index (BMI) of adult women was examined while taking into account predisposition for obesity. A representative population sample of 361 Swedish women aged 38-60 y was first examined in 1968-1969 and followed up 6 y later. Dietary intake was estimated by diet history interview, and parental fatness was assessed by questionnaire. Women already overweight with > or = 1 obese parent were considered predisposed to obesity. When total energy intake, smoking habits, physical activity, and menopausal status were controlled for in regression analysis, high dietary fat intake was significantly associated with a 6-y gain in BMI only the predisposed women (P = 0.003), but not among obese women with lean parents, or lean women with or without obese parents. High dietary fat intake may have an obesity-promoting effect in women with a genetic predisposition.

Intake of fried meat and risk of cancer: A follow‐up study in finland

It has been suggested that mutagens in fried meat may be involved in the cancer process. Therefore the relationships between intake of fried meat and subsequent risk of cancers at different sites were studied among 9,990 Finnish men and women, 15-99 years of age and initially free of cancer. The baseline study was carried out in 1966-1972, and cases of cancer were identified through data linkage with the Finnish Cancer Registry. During a 24-year follow-up, 853 cancer cases were diagnosed. The intake of fried meat was estimated from a dietary history interview covering the total diet of the participants during the previous year. There was a positive association between fried meat intake and the risk of female-hormone-related cancers, i.e., cancer of the breast, endometrium and ovary combined. The relative risk of these cancers combined between persons in the highest and lowest tertiles of daily intake of fried meat adjusted for age, personal characteristics and intake of other main food groups was 1.77 (95% confidence interval = 1.11-2.84). Pancreatic and nervous system cancers also presented non-significant suggestive associations. No associations were observed with respect to other single cancer sites studied or to all sites of cancer combined. Further epidemiological efforts are needed to ascertain the potential link between fried-food mutagens and cancer risk.

Antioxidant vitamins in the diet: relationships with other personal characteristics in Finland.

The study aimed to reveal associations between dietary antioxidant vitamins and other personal characteristics. Population based, cross sectional survey. Twenty seven rural, industrial, and semiurban communities in six different regions of Finland. Subjects included 5304 men and 4750 women aged 15 years or older, who were interviewed about their dietary habits at the baseline study of the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health Examination Survey, 1967-72. Intakes of carotenoids and vitamins A, E, and C were estimated from dietary history interviews covering the subjects' food consumption in the preceding year. In older age groups intakes of all the vitamins studied were low. Occupation had a profound effect on dietary antioxidant vitamins: intakes were highest in white collar workers and lowest in farmers; those classified as service workers, industrial workers, or housewives came in between. Current smoking was inversely associated with dietary carotenoids and vitamin C, especially in men. The vitamin intakes of ex-smokers were equal to or even slightly higher than those of never smokers. Married men had higher intakes of carotenoids and vitamin C than men living alone. Body mass index was not an important determinant of the intake of antioxidant vitamins. The associations of dietary antioxidant vitamins with sociodemographic characteristics and smoking were strong enough to exert a confounding or modifying effect in studies on diet and diseases.

DNA pattern and dietary habits in patients with breast cancer

An association between dietary fat, micronutrients and breast cancer aetiology and prognosis has been found in studies of experimental animals and in epidemiological studies. The relationship between dietary habits and the nuclear DNA content of breast cancer cells was studied in 82 women aged 50–65 years. A dietary history interview was conducted within 4 months following surgery. Patients having tumours with euploid DNA pattern reported lower mean intake of saturated fatty acids (FA) in absolute terms, lower mean intake of total fat, saturated FA, and monounsaturated FA, in percentage of total energy intake (E%), a higher E% from protein, and a higher intake of vitamin D, and selenium per 10 MJ than did patients having tumours with aneuploid DNA pattern. In the stepwise logistic regression analysis, the multivariate odds ratios (OR) for having a tumour with aneuploid DNA pattern was 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.28) for each 1 g increase in intake of total fat (E%) and 0.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.92–0.99) for each mg increase in selenium intake per 10 MJ. When total fat was substituted with types of fat, the OR for having a tumour with aneuploid DNA pattern was 1.30 (95% confidence interval, 1.07–1.59) for each 1 g increase in intake of saturated FA (E%). These results suggest a correlation between a diet rich in fat and protein and the DNA content of breast cancer cells.

Dietary habits and mammographic patterns in patients with breast cancer.

Between 1983 and 1986, dietary history interviews were conducted with 238 women aged 50-65 years who had surgery for stage I-II breast cancer. Diagnostic mammograms were coded in line with Wolfe's criteria in N1, P1, P2, and Dy patterns. Women with Dy pattern reported significantly higher intake of total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids (FA), polyunsaturated FA, n-3 FA, n-6 FA in per cent of energy (E%), and alpha-tocopherol in mg/10 MJ. Fat intake was lowest in women with N1 pattern and highest in those having Dy pattern. Patients having ER-rich cancers and Dy pattern reported significantly higher intake of total fat, monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA, n-6 FA (E%), and alpha-tocopherol (mg/10 MJ), as well as significantly lower intake of carbohydrate (E%) and calcium (g/10 MJ). In the stepwise multivariate analysis, the multivariate-odds ratio (OR) for having P2 + Dy patterns was 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02-1.12) for each increment in E% of total fat. In women with ER-rich tumors this OR was 1.09 (95% CI, 1.02-1.16). The highest self-reported body mass index (BMI) was observed in women with N1 + P1 patterns. OR for having P2 + Dy patterns was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.83-0.98) for each increment in 1 kg/m2 of BMI. The results suggest that dietary habits affect the mammographic parenchymal pattern in women with breast cancer and that a high fat intake is associated with a higher proportion of mammograms with Dy pattern in such patients.

Colorectal adenomas and energy intake, body size and physical activity: a case-control study of subjects participating in the Nottingham faecal occult blood screening programme

Most case-control studies of colorectal cancer have shown a positive association with energy intake. In contrast studies which have considered physical activity have found the most active to have a lower risk of colonic cancer and obesity appears to be no more than weakly related to colorectal cancer. We therefore compared energy intake determined by a diet history interview, self-reported height and weight, together with measures of lifetime job activity levels and leisure activity in the year prior to interview in 147 cases with colorectal adenomas and two control groups (a) 153 age-sex matched FOB-negative subjects (b) 176 FOB-positive subjects in whom no adenoma or carcinoma was found. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals () adjusted for age, sex and social class. No association with weight or body mass index was found. The only association with physical activity found with both control groups was an inverse association with running or cycling for half an hour continuously at least once a week RR 0.46 (0.2-1.3) compared with control group (a), and RR = 0.32 (0.1-0.8) compared with (b), but few subjects engaged in such activity. There was an inverse association with energy intake (trend chi 2 = 5.3, P < 0.025) in the comparison with control group (a) only, a finding which is consistent with those of two previous studies of asymptomatic adenoma.

Dietary intake of 70- to 89-year-old men in eastern and western Finland.

A detailed dietary history interview of 70- to 89-year-old men, 98 from eastern and 129 from western Finland, was obtained as part of a 30-year follow-up survey within the Seven Countries Study. The average energy intake was similar in level, about 2700 kcal, in both areas. The percentage of total energy intake from fat was 39.1% in the west, and 36.5% in the east. The P/S ratio was about the same, 0.27 and 0.29, in eastern and western areas, respectively. The intake of most micronutrients was similar in the two cohorts. Only the intake of vitamins A and C and phosphorus, manganese, copper and zinc was higher in eastern Finland than in western Finland. The nutritional density of the diet of the eastern cohort was slightly higher than that of the western one due to their higher consumption of rye products, vegetables and berries, and also sour milk and fish and fish products. The diet met the general recommendations and was comparable to that of younger age groups.

Cancer and Polyps of the Colorectum and Lifetime Consumption of Beer and Other Alcoholic Beverages

Two parallel case-control studies were conducted in the Marseilles metropolitan area of France from 1979 to 1985 on cancers and adenomatous polyps of the colorectum. All cases of cancer (n = 389) and polyps (n = 252) were incident and histologically confirmed. Controls (n = 641) matched for sex and age were selected among patients undergoing functional reeducation for injury or trauma in one of five hospital centers. Intake of alcoholic beverages was investigated by questions on daily or weekly intake of wine, beer, apéritifs, and distillates during different life periods. Questions on alcoholic beverages were integrated in a detailed diet history interview questionnaire. The risk of rectal cancer was elevated in male beer drinkers (relative risk = 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.95) and in men and women combined (relative risk = 1.71), while beer consumption was not associated with colon cancer. Total ethanol intake and consumption of wine and distillates were not associated with the risk of cancer of the colon or rectum, nor with risk of polyps. Adjustment in the statistical analysis for energy intake and for other dietary variables (fiber from fruits and fiber from vegetables), which were found to be risk factors in the study, did not substantially change the results found for beer and other alcoholic beverages. Etiologic hypotheses related to nitrosamine content of beer are discussed in the light of growing epidemiologic evidence that beer consumption specifically increases the risk of rectal cancer.

Comparison of diet history interview and self completed questionnaire in assessment of diet in an elderly population.

The aim of the study was to determine the reliability of a diet history interview with a short self completed questionnaire of a basic design used in other studies in the United Kingdom. The study used a cohort of elderly people randomly divided into two groups after stratification for sex. Members of one group completed the questionnaire first and were interviewed later; the procedure was reversed for the other group. Participants were drawn from registers of two general practitioners at a Nottingham health centre. All non-Asian men aged 65-74 years and women aged 59-65 years registered with the practices were identified (n = 152); 20 could not be traced and two were too ill, leaving 130 possible participants. Of these, 80 took part in the study. Ranking of subjects in terms of estimated fat, fibre, and calcium intakes was compared in the history interview and in the self completed questionnaire. Agreement in tertile ranking was 58% for fibre, 53% for fat, and 49% for calcium. Corresponding correlation coefficients for estimated nutrient intakes were 0.49, 0.45, and 0.41 respectively. The differences in nutrient intakes estimated by the two methods were not affected by age, sex, marital status, or smoking patterns. Subjects in the group asked to complete the questionnaire before being interviewed showed greater percentage concordance for tertile ranking, but this reached significance only for fat intake. The two methods provide estimates of intakes similar to those found in other studies in the United Kingdom, and the agreement between them in terms of tertile ranking is also similar to previous studies. The incidence of gross misclassification was low.

Dietary Habits and Prognostic Factors in Breast Cancer

The relationship between dietary habits and prognostic factors for breast cancer was studied in 240 women aged 50-65 years who had surgery for breast cancer between 1983 and 1986. A dietary history interview was conducted within the 4 months following resection of the primary tumor. In the stepwise multivariate analysis, the multiple-odds ratio (OR) for having a tumor greater than or equal to 20 mm in diameter was 0.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.91-0.99) for each 1-g increase in fiber intake per 10 MJ of energy intake. Compared with patients having tumors poor in estrogen receptor (ER), those having ER-rich tumors (greater than or equal to 0.10 fmol/microgram of DNA) were older (P less than .01) and reported carbohydrate intake yielding higher E% (percentage of total energy intake) (P less than .01) and higher retinol intake per 10 MJ (P less than .05). The OR for having an ER-rich tumor was 1.58 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.31) for each 1-mg increase in retinol intake per 10 MJ; 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.16) for each additional year of age; and 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.13) for each 1% increment in E% from carbohydrates. These results suggest that the dietary patterns of the western world (e.g., high fat intake and low intake of carbohydrates and fiber) affect certain prognostic factors in breast cancer, such as tumor size and ER content of the tumor.