[Association between folate intake and breast cancer risk among Tehrani women: a case-control study]

Dietary folate deficiency may contribute to tumorogenesis in many sorts of malignancies. By considering the increasing incidence rate of breast cancer in Iran, this study was conducted to investigate the association between dietary folate intake and breast cancer risk. In this case-control study, 177 patients with breast cancer and 169 control subjects with no family history of malignancy were recruited from hospitals affiliated to Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran. Standard questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics, physical activity, and food frequency consumption for the previous year. Total daily energy and folate intakes were estimated using the Nutritionist IV software. No statistically significant correlation was observed between daily dietary intake of folate and breast cancer risk in the sample population. However, the results showed a significant inverse association between daily intake of dietary folate and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women [OR=0.17; 95%CI: 0.035-0.88]. Increases in the strata of daily folate intakes were associated with decreasing trends of ORs in postmenopausal breast cancer risk [P[for trend] =0.036], where the OR of folate intake at the 2[nd] tertile was 0.26 [95%CI: 0.05-1.22] and at the 3[rd] tertile was 0.17 [95%CI: 0.035-0.88]. Based on the findings, folate intake was not correlated with breast cancer risk in the total sample population, whereas higher intakes of folate was inversely associated with postmenopausal breast cancer risk

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on serum Apo B and MDA in type II diabetic patients

Some animal studies have suggested that Conjugated Linoleic acid [CLA] supplementation may have therapeutic potential with respect to lipid metabolism, considered to be the most important cardiovascular disease [CVD] related risk factor, associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]. However, results from human studies on risk markers of diabetes are ambiguous. This study was carried out to determine the effect of CLA supplementation [as 50:50 proportions of c9, t11 and t10, c12 CLA isomers] on serum lipid profiles, MDA, apo-B100, systolic and diastolic blood pressures in patients with T2DM. The study was a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel intervention. Participants were 39 T2DM patients [35 to 50 y, 30>BMI >25] stratified, according to sex, age and BMI into two groups. The intervention group took 3.0 g CLA/d [3x1 g, capsules], a 50:50 isomer blend of c9, t11 and t10, c12 CLA] while the control group took soy bean oil as CLA placebo for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, serum lipid profile, MDA, and Apo B were measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. There were no significant differences in serum triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, apo-B100 and MDA between the two groups after week 8; nor were any significant differences observed in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the two groups after intervention. Results of this study suggest that short term CLA supplementation [3g/d] may not improve lipid profiles, apo-B100 and MDA concentrations in T2DM patients