One‐carbon metabolism biomarkers and risk of urothelial cell carcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Published associations between dietary folate and bladder cancer risk are inconsistent. Biomarkers may provide more accurate measures of nutrient status. This nested case‐control analysis within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) investigated associations between pre‐diagnostic serum folate, homocysteine, vitamins B6 and B12 and the risk of urothelial cell carcinomas of the bladder…

On the use of the healthy lifestyle index to investigate specific disease outcomes

The healthy lifestyle index (HLI), defined as the unweighted sum of individual lifestyle components, was used to investigate the combined role of lifestyle factors on health-related outcomes. We introduced weighted outcome-specific versions of the HLI, where individual lifestyle components were weighted according to their associations with disease outcomes. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer…

On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare and preventive care. Because of the role of social and…

Olive oil consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke

Background & aims The specific association of olive oil consumption with coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke has not been totally established. Objective: to examine whether olive oil consumption is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, the risk of total cardiovascular disease (CVD), CHD, and stroke. Methods Three cohorts were included: AWHS (2318 men), SUN Project (18,266…

Occupational exposure to persistent pesticides amongst agricultural workers in Bolivia

Background Organochlorine pesticides are still used for vector control, and there is evidence of their recent illegal use in agriculture in several tropical and subtropical areas of South America, including Bolivia. Objectives To determine concentrations of three selected organochlorine pesticides (p,p’-DDT, p,p’-DDE, HCB) in adipose tissue and serum samples in several Bolivian population sub-groups. Results…

Nutritional quality of food as represented by the FSAm-NPS nutrient profiling system underlying the Nutri-Score label and cancer risk in Europe: Results from the EPIC prospective cohort study

Background Helping consumers make healthier food choices is a key issue for the prevention of cancer and other diseases. In many countries, political authorities are considering the implementation of a simplified labelling system to reflect the nutritional quality of food products. The Nutri-Score, a five-colour nutrition label, is derived from the Nutrient Profiling System of…

Nutritional profile of the diet according to circadian clock genes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) chronodiet study

Background & aims Circadian rhythms seem to impact both dietary intake and metabolism, depending on the individual’s chronotype. We aimed to explore whether the nutritional composition of meals throughout the day is influenced by genetics linked to the circadian clock and chronotype within the “European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) chronodiet” study. Methods…

Nutrient-wide association study of 92 foods and nutrients and breast cancer risk

Background Several dietary factors have been reported to be associated with risk of breast cancer, but to date, unequivocal evidence only exists for alcohol consumption. We sought to systematically assess the association between intake of 92 foods and nutrients and breast cancer risk using a nutrient-wide association study. Methods Using data from 272,098 women participating…

Nutrient Patterns and Their Food Sources in an International Study Setting: Report from the EPIC Study

Compared to food patterns, nutrient patterns have been rarely used particularly at international level. We studied, in the context of a multi-center study with heterogeneous data, the methodological challenges regarding pattern analyses. We identified nutrient patterns from food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study and used 24-hour…