ABSTRACT
Aim: Esophageal cancer (EC) is considered one of the most common types of cancer in the world. High intake of dietary proteins is suggested to increase EC. This study examined associations between intake of red meats, processed meat, poultry, and fish and the risk of EC. Methods: This hospital-based Case-Control study included 96 people with EC and 187 people without EC from Bojnurd, Iran. Socio-demographic data was collected from all participants at enrollment using general information questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 168 item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, there was a significant association between the consumption of beef (P = 0.04), processed meats (sausages) (P = 0.01), and chicken with skin (P = 0.001) with the risk of EC. Conclusion: We observed a positive association between red meat, processed meats (sausages), chicken with skin and the risk of EC. The use of lamb meat and fish had no significant association with the risk of EC.
Subject(s)
Dietary Proteins/adverse effects , Esophageal Neoplasms/etiology , Meat/adverse effects , Aged , Animals , Chickens , Diet/adverse effects , Feeding Behavior , Female , Humans , Iran , Male , Meat Products/adverse effects , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , SheepABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The changes in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in adolescents from summer to winter and optimal serum vitamin D levels in the summer to ensure adequate vitamin D levels at the end of winter are currently unknown. This study was conducted to address this knowledge gap. METHODS: The study was conducted as a cohort study. Sixty-eight participants aged 7-18 years and who had sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of the summer in 2011 were selected using stratified random sampling. Subsequently, the participants' vitamin D levels were measured at the end of the winter in 2012. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine optimal cutoff points for vitamin D at the end of the summer to predict sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of the winter. RESULTS: The results indicated that 89.7% of all the participants had a decrease in vitamin D levels from summer to winter: 14.7% of them were vitamin D-deficient, 36.8% had insufficient vitamin D concentrations and only 48.5% where able to maintain sufficient vitamin D. The optimal cutoff point to provide assurance of sufficient serum vitamin D at the end of the winter was 40 ng/mL at the end of the summer. Sex, age and vitamin D levels at the end of the summer were significant predictors of non-sufficient vitamin D at the end of the winter. CONCLUSIONS: In this age group, a dramatic reduction in vitamin D was observed over the follow-up period. Sufficient vitamin D at the end of the summer did not guarantee vitamin D sufficiency at the end of the winter. We found 40 ng/mL as an optimal cutoff point.
Subject(s)
Seasons , Vitamin D Deficiency/diagnosis , Vitamin D/analogs & derivatives , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Sex Factors , Sunlight , Vitamin D/blood , Vitamin D Deficiency/bloodABSTRACT
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are immune mediated diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Several environmental factors in concert with genetic susceptibilities can trigger IBDs. Recently, one of the important environmental factors contributing to the development of autoimmune diseases is vitamin D (VitD) deficiency. Furthermore, some new evidence points to VitD deficiency and its receptor dysfunction as an underlying factor for the emergence experimental IBDs. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the correlation between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and IBD activity in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Sixty patients with confirmed diagnosis of IBD were recruited for a cross sectional study. Most of the identified confounders affecting serum VitD concentrations were excluded. Disease activity was assessed using validated questionnaires, including Truelove for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn Disease Activity Index (CDAI) for Crohn disease. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were determined by chemiluminescent assay. Serum 25(OH)D≤10 (ng/ml) was considered as VitD deficiency and 11≤25(OH)D<29(ng/ml) as VitD insufficiency. Mean serum 25(OH)D value was 13.1 ± 11.1(ng/ml) in IBD patients. Almost 95% of patients were vitamin D insufficient or deficient. Forty one percent of IBD patients had active disease. VitD deficiency was not associated with IBD activity (p=0.23). However, VitD deficiency was significantly associated with a history of IBD related intestinal surgery (p=0.001). In conclusion, this cross-sectional prospective study suggested that there is no association between vitamin D deficiency and disease activity in a relatively small number of IBD patients in a short period of time.
