Effects of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter on diabetes mellitus and the moderating effects of diet / 环境与职业医学

Background Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may increase the risk of diabetes, and a healthy diet can effectively control fasting blood glucose levels. However, it is unclear whether dietary factors have a moderating effect on the risk of diabetes associated with atmospheric PM2.5 exposure. Objective To investigate the association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and diabetes in rural areas of Ningxia, and potential interaction of long-term exposure to atmospheric PM2.5 and diet on diabetes. Methods The study subjects were selected from the baseline survey data of the China Northwest Cohort-Ningxia (CNC-NX) , a natural population cohort. A total of 13917 subjects were included, excluding participants with missing covariate information. We utilized the annual average ambient PM2.5 concentration from 2014 to 2018 as the long-term exposure level. Logistic regression and multiple linear regression were employed to analyze the associations of long-term atmospheric PM2.5 exposure with diabetes and fasting blood glucose levels. Stratification by frequency of vegetable consumption, frequency of fruit consumption, and salty taste was used to examine moderating effects on the diabetes risk associated with atmospheric PM2.5 exposure. Results The mean age of the 13917 subjects was (56.8±10.0) years, and the prevalence of diabetes was 9.8%. Between 2014 and 2018, the average annual concentration of PM2.5 was (38.10±4.67) μg·m−3. The risk (OR) of diabetes was 1.018 (95%CI: 1.005, 1.032) and the fasting blood glucose was increased by 0.011 (95%CI: 0.004, 0.017) mmol·L−1 for each 1 μg·m−3 increase in PM2.5 concentration. Compared to those who consumed vegetables < 1 time per week, individuals who consume vegetables 1-3 times per week and ≥4 times per week had a reduced risk of developing diabetes by 27.1% (OR=0.729, 95%CI: 0.594, 0.893) and 16.8% (OR=0.832, 95%CI: 0.715, 0.971) respectively. Similarly, when compared to those who consumed fruits <1 time per week, individuals who consumed fruits 1-3 times per week and ≥4 times per week exhibited a reduced risk of diabetes by 16.4% (OR=0.836, 95%CI: 0.702, 0.998) and 18.2% (OR=0.818, 95%CI: 0.700, 0.959) respectively. Fasting blood glucose decreased by 0.202 (95%CI: -0.304, -0.101) mmol·L−1 in participants who ate vegetables 1-3 times per week. The effect of salty taste on diabetes and fasting blood glucose was not significant. The results of stratified analysis by dietary factors and PM2.5 concentration showed that the risks of diabetes were increased in the low PM2.5 pollution-low vegetable intake frequency group and the high PM2.5 pollution-low vegetable intake frequency group compared with the low PM2.5 pollution-high vegetable intake frequency group, with OR values of 3.987 (95%CI: 2.943, 5.371) and 1.433 (95%CI: 1.143, 1.796) respectively. The risk of diabetes was 50.1% higher in participants with high PM2.5 pollution and low fruit intake frequency than in participants with low PM2.5 pollution and high fruit intake frequency (OR=1.501, 95%CI: 1.171, 1.926). No interaction was found between salty taste and PM2.5 on diabetes. Conclusion Long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 is associated with an increased fasting blood glucose and an elevated risk of diabetes in rural Ningxia population. Increasing the frequency of weekly consumption of vegetables or fruits may have a certain protective effect against diabetes occurrence, as well as a moderating effect on diabetes and fasting blood glucose levels associated with long-term exposure to atmospheric PM2.5.

Effects of long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 on hypertension and role of dietary regulation / 环境与职业医学

Background The contribution of long-term ambient PM2.5 exposure to hypertension should not be ignored. However, the conclusions of whether dietary factors play a role in regulating PM2.5-related hypertension are still inconsistent. Objective To explore the correlation between long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and blood pressure indicators (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure) in adults in Ningxia and a potential moderating effect of dietary factors. Methods A set of cross-sectional survey data from March, 2013 to May, 2018 was retrieved from the China Northwest Cohort-Ningxia, and the average ambient PM2.5 concentration in the previous three years was also collected to estimate the long-term exposure of the participants. Binary logistic regression model was used to validate the correlation between long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and hypertension in Ningxia, and linear model was used to study the correlation between long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and blood pressure indicators (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure), and to explore the influence of dietary factors on ambient PM2.5-related hypertension. Results A total of 11470 participants were included in the study, 42.2% male and 57.8% female. The three-year average ambient PM2.5 concentration before the baseline survey was 37.0 μg·m−3. Each 1 μg·m−3 increase in ambient PM2.5 was associated with an increased risk of hypertension (OR=1.111, 95%CI: 1.097, 1.125), and increased systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure by 0.886 (95%CI: 0.783, 0.990), 0.570 (95%CI: 0.500, 0.641), 0.676 (95%CI: 0.600, 0.751), and 0.316 (95%CI: 0.243, 0.389) mmHg, respectively. The stratified analysis showed that the OR and 95%CI of hypertension were 1.171 (1.097, 1.254), 1.117 (1.064, 1.174), and 1.160 (1.116, 1.207) respectively for each 1 μg·m−3 increased in PM2.5 with low frequency of vegetable and fruit consumption and salty taste respectively. The OR and 95%CI of hypertension were decreased when the moderate and high frequency of vegetable and fruit intake and moderate and light taste applied, the values were 1.091 (1.062, 1.121) and 1.114 (1.097, 1.131), 1.105 (1.082, 1.129) and 1.111 (1.092, 1.13), 1.115 (1.090, 1.140) and 1.102 (1.083, 1.121) respectively. Compared with low frequency of vegetable and fruit intake and salty taste, the increase degree of ambient PM2.5 related systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure also decreased in middle and high frequency of vegetable and fruit intake and moderate and light taste. Conclusion Long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 is significantly associated with increased risks of hypertension and blood pressure in Ningxia area. Increasing the frequency of vegetable and fruit intake and decreasing salty taste may reduce the effect of ambient PM2.5 on hypertension and blood pressure.

Associations of Oxalate Consumption and Some Individual Habits with the Risk of Kidney Stones / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Kidney stone is a highly recurrent disease in the urinary tract system. Most kidney stones are calcium stones, usually consisting of either calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate. Supersaturation of soluble calcium, oxalate, phosphate, and citrate in the urine is the basis for calcium stone formation. Genetics, diet, low physical activity, and individual habits contribute to the formation of kidney stones. In this review, the associations of the risk of kidney stones with oxalate consumption and some individual habits, such as smoking, alcohol drinking, and opium consumption, are summarized.

Dietary Factors and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer: A Review

In the past few decades, the incidence of thyroid cancer has rapidly increased worldwide. Thyroid cancer incidence is relatively high in regions where the population's daily iodine intake is insufficient. While low dietary iodine has been considered as a risk factor for thyroid cancer development, previous studies found controversial results across different food types. Among different ethnic groups, dietary factors are influenced by various dietary patterns, eating habits, life-styles, nutrition, and other environmental factors. This review reports the association between dietary factors and thyroid cancer risk among ethnic groups living in different geologic regions. Iodine-rich food such as fish and shellfish may provide a protective role in populations with insufficient daily iodine intake. The consumption of goitrogenic food, such as cruciferous vegetables, showed a positive association with risk. While considered to be a risk factor for other cancers, alcohol intake showed a protective role against thyroid cancer. High consumption of meat such as chicken, pork, and poultry showed a positive association with the risk, but dairy products showed no significant association. Regular use of multivitamins and dietary nitrate and nitrite also showed a positive association with thyroid cancer risk. However, the study results are inconsistent and investigations into the mechanism for how dietary factors change thyroid hormone levels and influence thyroid function are required.

Factors Associated with Bone Mineral Density in Korean Postmenopausal Women Aged 50 Years and Above: Using 2008-2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in Korean postmenopausal women. The data from 2008-2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used for data analysis. Subjects were 2,701 postmenopausal women aged > or = 50 years. BMDs at whole body, total femur, femoral neck, and lumbar spine were measured by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Dietary data from 24-hour dietary recall and a food frequency questionnaire containing 63 food items were used. The proportions of osteopenia at total femur, femoral neck, and lumbar spine were 37.4%, 54.5%, and 45.4%, respectively. The proportions of osteoporosis at total femur, femoral neck, and lumbar spine were 6.2%, 25.6%, and 34.3%, respectively. Age, anthropometric index including height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI), parathyroid hormone, and physical activity were related to BMD, but the relationships were site specific. Total femur BMD was explained by age, weight, parathyroid hormone and intakes of carbohydrate and fruits. Femoral neck BMD was related to age, weight, parathyroid hormone and intakes of riboflavin and fruits. Lumbar spine BMD was associated with age, weight, milk and dairy products, calcium intake, and exercise. These results indicated that adequate intakes of milk and dairy products, fruits, carbohydrate, calcium, riboflavin and exercise as well as weight maintenance might play an important role in maintaining optimum bone health in Korean postmenopausal women.

Dietary and Non-dietary Factors Related to Bone Mineral Density in Female College Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate correlations between bone mineral density (BMD) and dietary and nondietary factors in female college students. The BMD of the subjects (n = 38) was measured using DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) at lumbar spine and three femoral sites including femoral neck, ward's triangle, and femoral trochanter. Three-day 24-hour dietary recall data were collected from each subject to assess consumption levels of nutrients and food groups. The mean (+/- SD) values of age, age of menarche, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fat mass, and % body fat of the subjects were 21.34 (+/- 1.73) years, 13.1 (+/- 1.2) years, 161.3 (+/- 5.0) cm, 53.7 (+/- 7.2) kg, 20.6 (+/- 2.6) kg/m2, 0.80 (+/- 0.04), 15.4 (+/- 4.4) kg, and 28.2 (+/- 4.7), respectively. The BMD values of lumbar spine, femoral neck, ward's triangle, and femoral trochanter as T-value were 1.150 +/- 0.13 g/cm2, 0.932 +/- 0.11 g/cm2, 0.850 +/- 0.13 g/cm2, and 0.721 +/- 0.10 g/cm2, respectively. The daily mean energy intake of the subjects was 1660.6 kcal. The intake levels of carbohydrate, calcium, iron, vitamin C, and folic acid were lower than the KDRIs, while those of fat, phosphorus, sodium, vitamin A, and vitamin B6 were higher than the KDRIs. Significantly negative correlation were detected between consumption of fat and oils and the BMD of all sites measured (p < 0.05). Potato and starch intake was negatively correlated to the BMD of femoral neck and word's triangle (p < 0.05). The intake of cereals was found to be negatively correlated to the BMD of ward's triangle (p < 0.05). There was also negative correlation of intake of soybeans and products with the BMD of lumbar spine (p < 0.05). Weight and muscle mass were positively correlated to the BMD of both lumbar spine and femurs (p < 0.01). Significantly positive correlations between BMI, and fat mass and the BMD of lumbar spine were observed (p < 0.001). Additionally fat mass was positively correlated to the BMD of femoral neck. WHR and % body fat were positively correlated to the BMD of lumbar spine (p < 0.05). Negative correlation was found between a serum calcium level and the BMD of femoral neck (p < 0.05). In summary non-dietary factors generally showed significant correlations with the BMD of lumbar spine, while several dietary factors showed significant correlations with the BMD of femurs.

The Effects of Regular Exercise on Obesity Indices and Dietary Factors in Adult Males / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was performed to investigate the effects of regular exercise on dietary factors and obesity indices among 407 healthy adult males subjects. Subjects were classified into regular exercise group (REG) and irregular exercise group (IREG). Two hundred and thirteen subjects of REG excercised regularly 3 times (more than 30 minutes/time) per week during more than last 1 month or more. One hundred and ninety-four of IREG (n = 194) didn't regularly exercise during the last 1 month. Obesity indices were BMI (Body Mass Index), WHR (Waist Hip Ratio) and PIBW (Percentage of Ideal Body Weight). And the mean BMI, WHR and PIBW of REG were (22.1, 0.90 and 105.8) significantly lower than those of IREG (25.7, 0.98 and 117.7) respectively. The mean daily starches, seeds, meats, eggs, fish, milk, fats and processed food intakes of REG were significantly lower than those of IREG. And the mean daily vegetables, mushrooms and beverages intakes of the IREG were significantly lower than REG. Energy intake of REG and IREG were 1968.2 kcal and 1978.9 kcal respectively. Vitamin C intake of IREG was significantly lower than REG. But niacin and cholesterol intake of REG were significantly lower than the IREG. Exercise regularity was positively related with obesity indices and dietary factors. Therefore, it is necessary to exercise regularly to prevent obesity and cardiovascular disease in Korean adult males.

Nutritional Status and Related Factors of Residents Aged Over 50 in Longevity Areas: II. Effect of Dietary Factors on Bone Ultrasound Measurements in Aged Men

This study was conducted to examine dietary factors affecting bone status in the rural aged men. Quantitative ultrasound measurements (QUS) of bone, that may reflect certain architectural aspects of bone, have been shown to be associated with bone mineral density and fracture. Information of diet and anthropometry was collected in 164 aged men. Dietary intake data were obtained by 24-hour recall method. Measurements of the speed of sound (SOS, m/s), at distal radius, mid-tibia, phalanx, were performed using Omnisense 7000S analyzer (Sunlight Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel). T-scores for bone SOS measurements at distal radius, mid-tibia and phalanx were 0.60, 0.03 and -0.42 respectively. The prevalence of osteopenia by use of the WHO criteria was 17.7% at the mid-tibia and 25.3% of the subjects at the distal radius. Age were negative association with bone SOS at three sites. Osteopenia group of radius were significantly lower in total foods and vegetable intakes than normal group. After adjusted for age, vegetable intakes were significantly and positively related to bone SOS at the radius. The bone SOS of the tibia were significantly and positively related to vegetable protein, iron, folate and vegetable intakes, but negatively related to fat intakes. Multiple regression analysis showed that bone SOS of tibia was positively associated with folate intakes. Vegetable intakes were positively associated with the bone SOS at three sites. These results indicate that the consumption of vegetables, sources of folate, may have a effect on bone status of men.

Deteriorating Nutritional Status in an Increasingly Prosperous Society

Health outcomes are strongly associated with dietary factors. Poor dietary intake increases health risks and can have adverse affects throughout all stages of live and can be passed onto next generations. Korea faces a double burden of mutritional problems. One one side health problems are related to an inadequate diet including underweight, osteoporosis or anemia etc. On the other side the health problems are related to over consumption, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and etc. Improving the national health and nutritional status requires adjustments of nutrition policies that have primarily focused on under nutrition, to accommodate all nutrition concerns within the country. Nutrition research specific to Korean people must be promoted to produce scientific evidences on which to base nutrition policies. The creation of a nutrition-specialized institute is an important starting point.

Patterns of Perimenstrual Symptoms and Related Dietary Factors to Premenstrual Syndromes / 여성건강간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to differentiate between women with three perimenstrual symptom severity patterns : premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual magnification (PMM), and low symptom (LS), and to explore the related dietary factors to premenstrual symptoms. METHOD: Women were asked to keep a diary record of perimenstrual symptoms and food intake for 50 days. RESULT: Symptom patterns were defined for 26 among 38 women ; Eight (21.1%) demonstrated a PMS pattern, three (7.9%) demonstrated a PMM pattern, and fifteen (39.5%) exhibited a LS pattern. There were significant differences in symptom scores during the premenstrual phase (x2=19.30, p=.000), menstrual phase (x2=13.32, p=.001), and post menstrual phase (x2=9.93, p=.007) for three groups. Protein, vit E, vit C, niacin, folic acid, and phosphorus in the premenstrual phase, and energy, and vit B6 in the menstrual period were significantly different between the three groups. Among dietary compositions, amino acids, lipids, fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, natrium, vit B6, niacin, and vit E were negatively related to PMS symptoms. CONCLUSION: Pattern of perimenstrual symptoms should be differentiated for individualized PMS management. As a more efficient diet assessment for PMS women, randomized nutritional analysis during the 3 phases of the menstrual cycle should be done and a replication study is necessary with a larger sample.

Effect of Dietary, Biochemical and Other Factors on Bone Mineral Density Change for 2 Years in Korean College Women

This study was conducted to examine whether bone mineral density changes in 55 young Korean college women aged 19 to 26 years over 2 years and nutritional and biochemical factors are related. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in the spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), ward's triangle (WT), and femoral trochanter (FT) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry three times at one-year intervals. Serum osteocalcin (OC), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and urinary cross-linked N-teleopeptides of type collagen (NTx) were measured. Dietary intake was assessed 8 times with 24-hour recall method. Physical activity (PA) was obtained by questionnaire and body fat content was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis at baseline and after 2 years. Analyses were performed on 34 subjects with all three BMD measurements. The BMDs at the lumbar spine gradually increased over 2 years, while the BMDs of three sites at the femur were sustained or increased. The mean OC, PTH had a similar pattern with the change of BMD at the femur. The mean NTx decreased over 2 years but was still higher than those in other studies. BMI, body fat, vitamin A and zinc intake had a significant correlation with LS-BMD. Femur, PTH, body fat, vitamin A, vitamin B2 and calcium intake had a significant correlation with WT-BMD and was mostly influenced by diet. By multiple regression analysis, it was shown that the significant factors affecting the LS-BMD were BMI and vitamin A intake and those affecting FN and WT were age, BMI, PTH and calcium intake. These results indicate that some Korean women still experience increases in BMD and that this was associated with PTH and vitamin A and calcium intake. Therefore, proper diet and diet management is needed to increase changes in BMD among college women.

Diet and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Korean Women: A Case-Control Study / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the association between diet and breast cancer in Korean women. METHODS: The eligible subjects consisted of a series of histologically confirmed incident breast cancer patients (n= 1063) and non-cancer controls (n=1002) admitted to the departments of surgery at four teaching hospitals located in Seoul, Korea (Seoul National University Hospital, Borame Hospital, Samsung Medical Canter, and Asan medical Center) between 1995 and 2002, from whom blood samples were available. After excluding subjects with a previous history of cancer, hysterectomy or oophorectomy, the final study population consisted of 819 cases and 713 controls. The demographic characteristics and other information were collected by interviewed questionnaire. Dietary information obtained by trained interviewer using food frequency questionnaires. RESULTS: Women educated more than 12 years (OR=1.9, 95% CI: 1.4~2.7), with a higher body mass index (BMI) (OR= 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1~2.0) and a positive family history of breast cancer among the first degree relatives (OR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.3~4.3) were significant risk factors for breast cancer. The longer the exposure to estrogen during their lifetime, the higher the observed risk of breast cancer was (p for trend<0.001). The risk for breast cancer was increased with frequent consumption of cereals (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.8~2.5), potatoes (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.4~2.5), nuts and seeds (OR=1.9, 95% CI: 1.1~3.4), mushrooms (OR=1.5, 95% CI: 1.2~1.8), meats (OR=1.5, 95% CI: 1.2~1.9), eggs (OR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.1~2.3) and fish (OR=1.5, 95% CI: 1.2~1.9), whereas the risk decreased with higher intakes of green vegetables (OR=0.6, 95% CI: 0.4~1.0), fruits (OR=0.7, 95% CI: 0.6~0.9) and seaweeds (OR=0.7, 95% CI: 0.5~1.0). CONCLUSION: Certain diets (e.g., high fat, high carbohydrate, low vegetable or fruit intake, etc.) were significantly associated with the risk of breast cancer in Korea women, which were similar to the findings in Western countries.

Meta Analysis for the Relation between Korean Dietary Factors and Stomach Cancer

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of stomach cancer had decreased in developed countries, but still remains high in Korea. There was an agreement that dietary factors were the most important factors in gastric carcinogenesis. We undertook a meta-analysis to verify the relation between Korean food items and stomach cancer. METHODS: We searched all studies compatible for meta-analysis by computer and by manual and found two studies. We analyzed 14 dietary factors presented in the two studies by Peto's method. We calculated summary odds ratios and test for homogeneity. RESULTS: Among the 14 dietary factors, salt preference (odds ratio 1.72 [95%CI 1.29-2.30] P<0.001), soybean paste stew (odds ratio 4.19 [95%CI 2.99-5.89] P<0.001), hot pepper soybean paste stew (odds ratio 1.96 [95%CI 1.45-2.64] P<0.001), Kimchi (odds ratio 2.05 [95%CI 1.43-2.94] P<0.001), meat/fish stew (odds ratio 1.58 [95%CI 1.17-2.13] P=0.003), Bulgogi/broiled fish (odds ratio 1.84 [95%CI 1.37-2.49] P<0.001), salted side dishes (odds ratio 1.96 [95%CI 1.47-2.61] P<0.001), and chemical seasoning (odds ratio 2.55 95%CI 1.62-4.02 P<0.001) were risk factors to gastric cancer. But mung bean pancake (odds ratio 0.2 [95%CI 0.14-0.31] P<0.001) Dubu (odds ratio 0.59 [95%CI 0.43-0.83] P=0.002), and garlic (odds ratio 0.45 [95%CI 0.32-0.63] P<0.001) were preventable factors against gastric cancer. Red pepper (odds ratio 1.21 [95%CI 0.91-1.63] P=0.19) and boiled rice (odds ratio 1.39 [95%CI 0.87-2.2] P=0.16) were risk factors to gastric cancer, and sesame oil preference (odds ratio 0.68 [95%CI 0.46-1.01] P=0.06) was a preventable factor against gastric cancer, but these results were not statistically significant.

The Relationship between Ophthalmic Refractive Errors and Factors of Nutrition and Health / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative importance among various biological and environmental factors on refractive errors. Various factors such as diseases, health related behavior such as drinking, smoking and exercise, as well as dietary factors were considered as a possible determinant. Surveys of 492 residents over 20 years of age in Kuri city were conducted during 1998. The survey included a refractive error test adopting a autokerato-refractometer, dietary survey using a 24 hour recall method, disease survey including blood and other diagnosis tests, and a health behavior survey using questionnaires with variables of smoking, drinking, and exercise. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was adopted to analyse the relative importance among independent variables of health behaviors, disease, and dietary factors on ametropias. As a result, in the case of myopia, liver dysfunction appeared to be the most important factors followed by the health related behavior of smoking and exercise as the second most important factors. Nutrient factors such as carotene and protein appeared to be the third most important factors. Similar results had been shown in the case of the hyperopia. In summary, liver dysfunction and the health related behaviors of drinking and smoking appeared to be more influential factors on abnormal eye sight of myopia and hyperopia than dietary factors.

Breast Cancer Risk and Dietary Factor: A Case-Control Study

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the effect of dietary factors on the risk of breast cancer in Korean women. METHODS: New histologically proven breast cancer cases (n=108) were selected at Hanyang and Soonchunhyang University Hospitals in Seoul. Controls (n=121) were selected from patients in the Departments of Plastic Surgery, General Surgery and Opthalmology at the same hospitals by frequency matching of age and menopausal status. Informations on demographic, reproductive, and dietary factors were collected by an interviewer. Food intake was assessed by using food frequency questionnaires. The association of dietary factors with breast cancer risk was analyzed using total nutrient intake and food intake based on menopausal status. The statistical analysis was done by using unconditional logistic regression after adjusting for age and other confounding factors. RESULTS: The results were as follows: Breast cancer risk significantly decreased with consumption of the following nutrients: fiber in postmenopausal women, vit C in postmenopausal and total women, and vit E in premenopausal women. However, neither total energy nor fat intake was associated with development of breast cancer. Grape and pepper intake in premenopausal women and kimchi intake in total women were significantly associated with decreasing risk of breast cancer. Overall consumption of vegetables and fruits was associated with decreased breast cancer risk. CONCLUSION: Consumption of vegetables and fruits showed a protective effect in breast cancer risk, but neither the intake of fat nor the intake of protein was associated with breast cancer risk in this study. These findings suggest that the consumption of vegetables, and fruits is a protective factor. Further studies with larger numbers of subjects should be conducted to evaluate the association between breast cancer risk and dietary factors.

The factors associated with Body Mass Index of adults

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Obesity is influenced by multiple factors, both genetic and environmental factors. We investigated the relationship between socioeconomic, behavioral, dietary, reproductive factors and body mass index(BMI). METHODS: The subject were 3000 adults who had visited the Health Screening and Diagnosis Center of Yeungnam University School of Medicine from February to June, 1997. We evaluated BMI and occupation, exercise, smoking, alcohol intake, total calory intake, fat and carbohydrate intake in both gender and reproductive factors in women. Then, we analyzed the association between BMI and such variables as above. RESULTS: 1629 men and 1371 women were analyzed. The mean BMI was 23.4+/- 2.8kg/M(2) in men, 22.9+/- 3.1kg/M(2) in women. In both gender, 9.7% of our population had BMl over 27. Mean BMI increased with age. Those who were active and light smokers( 20cigarette/day) had the lowest BMI in men. But no relationship was observed between BMI and exercise, smoking in women. Heavy alcohol drinkers(> 1cup/day) had higher BMI than other group in both gender. We found significant correlation between BMI and total calory intake, calory intake to recommended calory ratio in both gender. In women, the group whose number of parity was above 3 had significantly higher BMI than the other. And age at first birth was significantly correlated with BMI in a negative direction. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that BMI was associated with age, smoking, alcohol, total calory intake, calory intake to recommended calory ratio, parity, age at first birth. Socioeconomic class, exercise and diet composition appeared to have little influence.