Fruit Consumption In Relation Research Articles

Innovation as a Factor Increasing Fruit Consumption: The Case of Poland.

Due to the low level of fruit consumption in relation to dietary recommendations in many European countries, including Poland, multidirectional actions should be taken to increase the consumption of these products. One of the ideas could be the introduction of innovative products. The main goal of the study is to determine the relationship between consumer propensity to purchase innovative products and the frequency of consumption of fruits and their preserves of consumers. The research sample consisted of 600 respondents who declared to consume fruit and were responsible for food shopping in their households. The results obtained indicate that consumers with a higher propensity to purchase innovative products consumed fruit and fruit preserves more. In addition, statistically significant differences were found between innovators and non-innovators in terms of income, expenditures on fruit purchases, places where fruit and fruit preserves were purchased and product characteristics that determined the purchase decision. The logistic regression results indicate that a higher frequency of supermarket/hypermarket and online shopping, a higher weekly spending on fruit and a greater importance attributed to the biodegradability of the packaging increased the favorability of innovation relatively to fruit products (by 23.8%, 31.4%, 32.7% and 21.6%, respectively). The relationships found may have important implications for both private and public stakeholders in the fruit and vegetable sector.

Fruit consumption and the risk of bladder cancer: A pooled analysis by the Bladder Cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants Study.

While the association between fruit consumption and bladder cancer risk has been extensively reported, studies have had inadequate statistical power to investigate associations between types of fruit and bladder cancer risk satisfactorily. Fruit consumption in relation to bladder cancer risk was investigated by pooling individual data from 13 cohort studies. Cox regression models with attained age as time scale were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for intakes of total fruit and citrus fruits, soft fruits, stone fruits, tropical fruits, pome fruits and fruit products. Analyses were stratified by sex, smoking status and bladder cancer subtype. During on average 11.2 years of follow-up, 2836 individuals developed incident bladder cancer. Increasing fruit consumption (by 100 g/day) was inversely associated with the risk of bladder cancer in women (HR = 0.92; 95% CI 0.85-0.99). Although in women the association with fruit consumption was most evident for higher-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC; HR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.56-0.92), the test for heterogeneity by bladder cancer subtype was nonsignificant (P-heterogeneity = .14). Increasing fruit consumption (by 100 g/day) was not associated with bladder cancer risk in men (HR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.94-1.03), never smokers (HR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.88-1.05), former smokers (HR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.92-1.05) or current smokers (HR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.89-1.01). The consumption of any type of fruit was not found to be associated with bladder cancer risk (P values > .05). Our study supports no evidence that the consumption of specific types of fruit reduces the risk of bladder cancer. However, increasing total fruit consumption may reduce bladder cancer risk in women.

Fresh fruit consumption in relation to incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications: A 7-y prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.

BackgroundDespite the well-recognised health benefits of fresh fruit consumption, substantial uncertainties remain about its potential effects on incident diabetes and, among those with diabetes, on risks of death and major vascular complications.Methods and findingsBetween June 2004 and July 2008, the nationwide China Kadoorie Biobank study recruited 0.5 million adults aged 30–79 (mean 51) y from ten diverse localities across China. During ~7 y of follow-up, 9,504 new diabetes cases were recorded among 482,591 participants without prevalent (previously diagnosed or screen-detected) diabetes at baseline, with an overall incidence rate of 2.8 per 1,000 person-years. Among 30,300 (5.9%) participants who had diabetes at baseline, 3,389 deaths occurred (overall mortality rate 16.5 per 1,000), along with 9,746 cases of macrovascular disease and 1,345 cases of microvascular disease. Cox regression yielded adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) associating each disease outcome with self-reported fresh fruit consumption, adjusting for potential confounders such as age, sex, region, socio-economic status, other lifestyle factors, body mass index, and family history of diabetes. Overall, 18.8% of participants reported consuming fresh fruit daily, and 6.4% never/rarely (non-consumers), with the proportion of non-consumers about three times higher in individuals with previously diagnosed diabetes (18.9%) than in those with screen-detected diabetes (6.7%) or no diabetes (6.0%). Among those without diabetes at baseline, higher fruit consumption was associated with significantly lower risk of developing diabetes (adjusted HR = 0.88 [95% CI 0.83–0.93] for daily versus non-consumers, p < 0.001, corresponding to a 0.2% difference in 5-y absolute risk), with a clear dose–response relationship. Among those with baseline diabetes, higher fruit consumption was associated with lower risks of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR = 0.83 [95% CI 0.74–0.93] per 100 g/d) and microvascular (0.72 [0.61–0.87]) and macrovascular (0.87 [0.82–0.93]) complications (p < 0.001), with similar HRs in individuals with previously diagnosed and screen-detected diabetes; estimated differences in 5-y absolute risk between daily and non-consumers were 1.9%, 1.1%, and 5.4%, respectively. The main limitation of this study was that, owing to its observational nature, we could not fully exclude the effects of residual confounding.ConclusionIn this large epidemiological study in Chinese adults, higher fresh fruit consumption was associated with significantly lower risk of diabetes and, among diabetic individuals, lower risks of death and development of major vascular complications.

Fresh fruit consumption in relation to incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications: findings from the China Kadoorie Biobank Study

BackgroundAlthough fresh fruit consumption has well recognised health benefits, substantial uncertainties remain about its potential effects on incident diabetes and, among those with diabetes, the risks of death and vascular complications. We aimed to assess the associations of fresh fruit consumption with the risk of incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications. MethodsThe China Kadoorie Biobank Study is a prospective cohort study with 512 891 Chinese adults aged 30–79 (mean 51·5, SD 10·7) years recruited from ten diverse localities across China between June 25, 2004, and July 15, 2008. At baseline and during the two subsequent resurveys (conducted from June to October, 2008, and from August, 2013, to September, 2014), data on fresh fruit consumption were collected with interviewer-administered electronic questionnaires. Deaths and information on hospital admissions were collected through linkages with death and disease registries and national health insurance claim databases. For each disease endpoint (including incident diabetes and, among baseline diabetics, mortality and hospital admissions of diabetic vascular complications) associated with fresh fruit consumption, we used Cox regression analysis to derive adjusted hazards ratios (HRs), adjusting for age, sex, region, education, income, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, survey season, family history of diabetes, BMI, and consumption of meat, dairy products, and preserved vegetables. Ethics approval was granted by ethics committees or institutional review boards at the University of Oxford, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and all participating regions, and all participants provided written informed consent. FindingsDuring a mean of 7·2 years (SD 1·3) of follow-up, 9504 new diabetes cases were recorded in 482 591 participants without self-reported or screen-detected diabetes at baseline. In 30 300 (5·9%) participants who had diabetes at baseline, 3389 deaths, 9746 macrovascular events requiring hospital admission, and 1345 microvascular events were recorded. 96 586 (18·8%) of all participants reported daily consumption of fresh fruit (consumers) and 32 775 (6·4%) never or rarely consumed fresh fruit (non-consumers). The proportion of non-consumers was about three times higher in participants with baseline self-reported diabetes (17·9% [2893 of 16 162]) than in those with screen-detected diabetes (6·8% [958 of 14 138]) or no diabetes (6·0% [28 924 of 482 591]). In participants without diabetes at baseline, the adjusted HR for incident diabetes was 0·88 (95% CI 0·83–0·93) for daily consumers versus non-consumers, with a clear dose–response relation with the amount consumed. This association was consistent across subgroups of participants at different levels of diabetes risk. In participants with diabetes at baseline, increased fresh fruit consumption was associated with reduced risks of death and major vascular diseases, with adjusted HRs per daily portion being 0·83 (0·74–0·93) for all-cause mortality, 0·87 (0·82–0·93) for macrovascular complications, and 0·72 (0·61–0·87) for microvascular complications. The associations were similar in patients with self-reported diabetes and those with screen-detected diabetes, and were not modified by diabetes onset age, duration, or treatment. InterpretationIn Chinese adults, higher fresh fruit consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of diabetes and, in those who already had diabetes, lower risks of death, and major vascular complications. FundingKadoorie Charitable Foundation (Hong Kong, China), UK Wellcome Trust, Chinese National Natural Science Foundation, British Heart Foundation, UK Medical Research Council, and Cancer Research UK.

Within Flood Season Variation in Fruit Consumption and Seed Dispersal by Two Characin Fishes of the Amazon

ABSTRACTMany Amazon River fishes consume fruits and seeds from floodplain forests during the annual flood season, potentially serving as important seed dispersers and predators. Using a participatory approach, this study investigated how within‐season variation in flood level relates to fruit consumption and seed dispersal by two important frugivorous fish, Colossoma macropomum and Piaractus brachypomus, in two Lower Amazon River fishing communities in Brazil. Diets of both fish species were comprised of 78–98 percent fruits, largely dominated by a few species. Diets included fruits of 27 woody angiosperms and four herbaceous species from 26 families, indicating the importance of forest and Montrichardia arborescens habitat during peak flood. A correspondence between peak fruit species richness and peak flood level was observed in one of two communities, which may reflect higher forest diversity and/or differences in selection of fishing habitat. Both fishes are seed dispersers and predators, the relative role of which did not vary by flood level, seed size, or fish size, but may vary with seed hardness. Interspecific differences in diet volume and intact seeds suggest P. brachypomus are more effective seed dispersers than C. macropomum. Overall, the spatial and temporal variation in fruit species composition and richness demonstrate plasticity in fruit consumption in relation to flood level and locally available fruits. While such diets are adaptive to the dynamic changes of Amazon floodplain habitats, the high consumption of forest fruits and seeds from mid‐ and late‐successional species suggests that floodplain forest degradation could disrupt seed dispersal and threaten local and regional fisheries.

Vegetable and Fruit Consumption in Relation to Prostate Cancer Risk in Hawaii: A Reevaluation of the Effect of Dietary Beta-Carotene

This is a further analysis of a case-control study of 452 prostate cancer cases and 899 population controls that was conducted in 1970-1983 among the multiethnic population of Hawaii. Because a previous analysis had shown a positive association with intake of beta-carotene, a nutrient presently being tested for chemoprevention, the authors reexamined the data for consistency among the main food sources of beta-carotene. Vegetables and fruits containing other phytochemicals suspected to be cancer inhibitors were also examined. With the exception of papaya, which was positively associated with risk among men aged 70 years and older, consumption of other yellow-orange fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, dark green vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables was not associated with prostate cancer risk. These results suggest that: 1) the positive association with beta-carotene intake among older men that the authors previously reported was essentially due to the greater papaya consumption of cases compared with controls; and 2) intake of beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, indoles, phenols, or other phytochemicals is not associated with prostate cancer risk.