Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Determinants of Adherence to Current Dietary Recommendations and Diet Quality in Middle-Aged Spanish Premenopausal Women.

Background: A healthy diet when approaching menopause could prevent some of the symptoms associated with the climacteric. Few studies examine adherence to current healthy dietary recommendations in middle-aged premenopausal women. Our objective was to analyze the diet quality and the adherence to the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) dietary recommendations in middle-aged Spanish premenopausal women, and to identify the associated sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on 1251 premenopausal women, aged 39-50, who attended to Madrid City Council Medical Diagnostic Center. Women completed an epidemiological and a food frequency questionnaire. Degree of adherence to the SENC recommendations was estimated with a score that evaluated null (0 points) and full (1 point) adherence of each specific recommendation. Associations were explored using an ordinal logistic multivariable regression model. Results: Regarding food groups, the worst adherence was found for sweets, red/processed meat, olive oil and eggs. Most of the participants exceeded the recommended caloric intake from proteins and fats, and practically all of them showed vitamin D intake deficiency. The overall score ranged from 2 to 12 (out of 15), with a median of 6.0 (interquartile range: 5.0-7.0). Former smokers (OR: 1.38; 95%CI: 1.08-1.78), as well as those with higher educational level (ORSSecondary:1.68; 95%CI: 0.97-2.93, ORUniversity:1.82; 95%IC: 1.05-3.14), with two or more children (OR: 1.31; 95%IC: 1.00-1.72), with higher caloric intake (OR>2188.2kcal/day: 8.22; 95%CI: 6.19-10.92) and with greater physical activity (OR≥21METS-h/week: 1.29; 95%CI: 0.95-1.76) showed greater adherence. Conclusions: Almost two-thirds of middle-aged premenopausal participants showed low or moderate compliance with SENC recommendations. Education, smoking, parity, and physical activity were associated with the degree of adherence to these recommendations.

Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids Levels, Anthropometric Variables and Adiposity in Spanish Premenopausal Women.

This study investigates the still uncertain association between serum phospholipid fatty acids (PL-FA), and anthropometric and adiposity variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1443 Spanish premenopausal women. Participants answered an epidemiological and a food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric variables were measured using a bioimpedance scale. Serum PL-FAs levels were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The association between body mass index (BMI), weight gain, body fat percentage, visceral fat index, and waist circumference with serum PL-FAs and desaturation indices was evaluated using multivariable linear regression models. BMI was positively associated with the relative concentration of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (ß = 0.94, q-val = 0.001), and with palmitoleic, dihomo-γ-linolenic (DGLA), arachidonic (AA) and α-linolenic acids, and was inversely associated with oleic, gondoic, trans-vaccenic, linoleic and γ-linolenic acids. Total fat percentage was positively associated with DGLA and AA, and inversely with linoleic and γ-linolenic acids. Low relative concentrations of some SFAs and high levels of n-6 PUFAs were associated with greater waist circumference. While the oleic/stearic and AA/DGLA acid ratios were inversely associated with BMI, DGLA/linoleic acid ratio was positively related to almost all variables. In addition to BMI, total fat percentage and waist circumference were also associated with certain individual fatty acids.

Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Mammographic Density in Premenopausal Women.

BACKGROUND: The role of fatty acids (FAs) on mammographic density (MD) is unclear, and available studies are based on self-reported dietary intake. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the association between specific serum phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and MD in premenopausal women. METHODS: The cross-sectional study DDM-Madrid recruited 1392 Spanish premenopausal women, aged 39-50 y, who attended a screening in a breast radiodiagnosis unit of Madrid City Council. Women completed lifestyle questionnaires and FFQs. Percentage MD was estimated using a validated computer tool (DM-Scan), and serum PLFA percentages were measured by GC-MS. Multivariable linear regression models were used to quantify the association of FA tertiles with MD. Models were adjusted for age, education, BMI, waist circumference, parity, oral contraceptive use, previous breast biopsies, and energy intake, and they were corrected for multiple testing. RESULTS: Women in the third tertile of SFAs showed significantly higher MD compared with those in the first tertile (ßT3vsT1 = 7.53; 95% CI: 5.44, 9.61). Elevated relative concentrations of palmitoleic (ßT3vsT1 = 3.12; 95% CI: 0.99, 5.25) and gondoic (ßT3vsT1 = 2.67; 95% CI: 0.57, 4.77) MUFAs, as well as high relative concentrations of palmitelaidic (ßT3vsT1 = 5.22; 95% CI: 3.15, 7.29) and elaidic (ßT3vsT1 = 2.69; 95% CI: 0.59, 4.79) trans FAs, were also associated with higher MD. On the contrary, women with elevated relative concentrations of n-6 (ω-6) linoleic (ßT3vsT1 = -5.49; 95% CI; -7.62, -3.35) and arachidonic (ßT3vsT1 = -4.68; 95% CI: -6.79, -2.58) PUFAs showed lower MD. Regarding desaturation indices, an elevated palmitoleic to palmitic ratio and a low ratio of oleic to steric and arachidonic to dihomo-γ-linolenic acids were associated with higher MD. CONCLUSIONS: Spanish premenopausal women with high relative concentrations of most SFAs and some MUFAs and trans FAs showed an increased MD, whereas those with high relative concentrations of some n-6 PUFAs presented lower density. These results, which should be confirmed in further studies, underscore the importance of analyzing serum FAs individually.

Antibody reactivity against Helicobacter pylori proteins in a sample of the Spanish adult population in 2008-2013.

BACKGROUND: Differences in Helicobacter pylori protein expression have been related to the risk of severe gastric diseases. In Spain, a marked geographic pattern in gastric cancer mortality has long been reported. OBJECTIVE: To characterize antibody reactivity patterns against 16 H. pylori proteins, by age, sex, and region of birth, in a large sample of the Spanish adult population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antibody reactivity was quantified by H. pylori multiplex serology in a sample from the control group of the multicase-control study MCC-Spain. For this analysis, 2555 population-based controls were included. Each participant was classified as seropositive or seronegative for each protein according to specific cutoffs. Overall H. pylori seroprevalence was defined as positivity against ≥4 proteins. Descriptive analyses by age, sex, and region of birth were performed for both seroprevalence and seroreactivity (continuous measure). Differences among groups were tested by logistic and linear regression models. RESULTS: Overall H. pylori seroprevalence increased with age in both sexes. For ages 55-74, seroprevalence was lower in women than in men (84% vs 92%, P<.001). Region of birth explained 7% of the variability in seroprevalence. Among H. pylori seropositive subjects, proteins with the highest seroprevalence were GroEL, NapA, HP231, and Omp. Seropositivity for most of the proteins increased or remained stable with age, rising mainly for CagA, GroEL, and HyuA in women. A clear cohort effect was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to describe the antibody patterns against 16 H. pylori proteins in the Spanish population. We found variability in the H. pylori antibody profiles according to both individual factors such as age and sex, and environmental factors such as the region of birth. The slightness of the reduction in seropositivity with decreasing age highlights the ongoing importance of this infection.

Menstrual and Reproductive Factors and Risk of Gastric and Colorectal Cancer in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Sex hormones play a role in gastric cancer and colorectal cancer etiology, however, epidemiological evidence is inconsistent. This study examines the influence of menstrual and reproductive factors over the risk of both tumors. METHODS: In this case-control study 128 women with gastric cancer and 1293 controls, as well as 562 female and colorectal cancer cases and 1605 controls were recruited in 9 and 11 Spanish provinces, respectively. Population controls were frequency matched to cases by age and province. Demographic and reproductive data were directly surveyed by trained staff. The association with gastric, colon and rectal cancer was assessed using logistic and multinomial mixed regression models. RESULTS: Our results show an inverse association of age at first birth with gastric cancer risk (five-year trend: OR = 0.69; p-value = 0.006). Ever users of hormonal contraception presented a decreased risk of gastric (OR = 0.42; 95%CI = 0.26-0.69), colon (OR = 0.64; 95%CI = 0.48-0.86) and rectal cancer (OR = 0.61; 95%CI = 0.43-0.88). Postmenopausal women who used hormone replacement therapy showed a decreased risk of colon and rectal tumors. A significant interaction of educational level with parity and months of first child lactation was also observed. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a protective role of exogenous hormones in gastric and colorectal cancer risk. The role of endogenous hormones remains unclear.

New species of Rotundomys (Cricetinae) from the Late Miocene of Spain and its bearing on the phylogeny of Cricetulodon and Rotundomys.

The material of Rotundomys (Rodentia, Cricetinae) from the Late Miocene fossiliferous complex of Cerro de los Batallones (Madrid, Spain) is described and compared with all species currently placed in the genera Rotundomys and Cricetulodon. Both the morphology and size variation encompassed in the collection of specimens from Batallones suggest they belong to a single taxon different from the other known species of these genera. A new species Rotundomys intimus sp. nov. is, therefore, named for it. A cladistic analysis, which is the first ever published concernig these taxa, has been conducted to clear up the phylogenetic position of the new species. Our results suggest that Rotundomys intimus sp. nov. inserts between R. mundi and R. sabatieri as a relatively primitive taxon inside the clade Rotundomys. The new taxon is more derived than R. mundi in having a transversal connection between the metalophulid and the anterolophulid on some m1 but more primitive than R. sabatieri and the most evolved species of Rotundomys (R. montisrotuni +R.bressanus) in its less developed lophodonty showing distinct cusps, shallower valleys, and the presence of a subdivided anteroloph on the M1. The species of Cricetulodon do not form a monophyletic group. As a member of Rotundomys, Rotundomys intimus sp. nov. is more derived than all of these taxa in its greater lophodonty and the complete loss of the anterior protolophule, mesolophs, and mesolophids.