Plasma Lycopene Is Associated with Pizza and Pasta Consumption in Middle-Aged and Older African American and White Adults in the Southeastern USA in a Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The role of dietary lycopene in chronic disease prevention is not well known. METHODS: This study examined intake of lycopene and other antioxidants from lycopene-rich foods (e.g., pizza and pasta) simultaneously with plasma levels of lycopene and other antioxidants in a representative cross-sectional sample (187 Blacks, 182 Whites, 40-79 years old) from the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). The SCCS is an ongoing study conducted in populations at high risk for chronic diseases living in Southeastern United States. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and plasma levels of lycopene and other antioxidants were measured at baseline (2002-2005). The participants were classified into tertiles according to consumption of pizza and pasta food groups. RESULTS: Lycopene dietary intake and plasma lycopene concentrations were significantly higher in the highest (tertile 3) compared to tertiles 1 and 2 (both P < 0.01). Total energy intake ranged from 1964.3 ± 117.1 kcal/day (tertile 1) to 3277.7 ± 115.8 kcal/day (tertile 3) (P<0.0001). After adjusting for age and energy intake, total dietary fat, saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, and sodium intakes were significantly higher in tertile 3 than tertiles 2 and 1 (all P <0.01). Vitamin C intake was significantly lower in tertile 3 than tertiles 1 and 2 (P = 0.003). Except for γ-tocopherol being higher in tertile 3 than tertiles 1 and 2 (P = 0.015), the plasma concentrations of antioxidants were lower in tertile 3 than tertiles 1 and 2 (ß-carotene, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the SCCS population, pizza and pasta were the main sources of dietary lycopene and their intake was associated with plasma lycopene concentration. Diets with frequent pizza and pasta consumption were high in energy, saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, sodium and low in other antioxidants. Future studies of lycopene as a protective dietary factor against chronic disease should consider the overall nutritional quality of lycopene-containing foods.

Obesity and prostate cancer screening among African-American and Caucasian men.

BACKGROUND: Differential prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing practices according to obesity-related comorbid conditions may contribute to inconsistent results in studies of obesity and prostate cancer. We investigated the relationship between obesity and PSA testing, and evaluated the role of prior diagnoses and disease screening on PSA testing patterns. METHODS: Men, 40 and 79 years old and without prior prostate cancer were recruited from 25 health centers in the Southern US (n = 11,558, 85% African-American). An extensive in-person interview measured medical and other characteristics of study participants, including PSA test histories, weight, height, demographics, and disease history. Odds ratios (OR) and (95% confidence intervals) from logistic regression summarized the body mass index (BMI) and PSA test association while adjusting for socio-economic status (SES). RESULTS: BMI between 25 and 40 was significantly associated with recent PSA testing (past 12 months) (OR(25.0-29.9) = 1.23 (1.09, 1.39); OR(30-34.9) = 1.36 (1.18, 1.57); OR(35.0-39.9) = 1.44 (1.18, 1.76); OR(> or =40) = 1.15 (0.87, 1.51)). Prior severe disease diagnoses, such as heart disease, did not influence the obesity and PSA test association. However, adjustment for prior high blood pressure or high cholesterol diagnoses reduced the BMI-PSA testing associations. Physician PSA test recommendations were not associated with BMI, and results did not appreciably vary by race. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obese men were preferentially PSA tested within the past 12 months. BMI was not associated with physician screening recommendations. Data suggest that clinical diagnoses related to obesity increase clinical encounters that lead to preferential selection of obese men for prostate cancer diagnosis. This detection effect may bias epidemiologic investigations of obesity and prostate cancer incidence.

Roots of prostate cancer in African-American men.

To fully understand the role of genetics and environment (biotic, abiotic and sociocultural) in the prostate cancer disparity experienced by African-American men, this paper examined the rates of prostate cancer among African-American men and one of their ancestral populations in west Africa. Data sources were from the World Health Organization (WHO) and reported hospital records in the literature. Based on the WHO's worldwide cancer data, west African men have much lower prostate cancer incidence and mortality compared to African-American men. For example, compared to Nigerian men, African-American men are >10 times likely to develop prostate cancer and 3.5 times likely to die from the disease. However, contrary to the global ranking by WHO, there is documented evidence in the literature indicating that prostate cancer in at least one west African country is similar to rates found in the United States and in Caribbean Islands. To better address prostate cancer disparity, future studies should study populations and subgroups from central and west Africa, the original source population for African Americans.

Prostate cancer screening between low-income African-American and Caucasian men.

OBJECTIVE: African-Americans (AA) are more likely than Caucasians (CA) to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, perhaps due to delayed detection. We investigated racial differences in prostate cancer screening according to age and socioeconomic and demographic indices in a large and predominantly low-income population. METHODS: In-person interviews were conducted with 12,552 men, 84% AA, recruited during 2002 through 2004 from 25 community health centers in the southern United States. Prostate specific antigen test (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) histories, and socioeconomic and demographic indices (i.e., education, household income, health insurance, and marital status) were determined. Odds ratios (OR) from logistic regression summarized the screening and race association as a function of age, while controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). RESULTS: Racial differences in screening prevalence varied with age. Of men older than 65 years, CA were significantly more likely to report a PSA test (OR = 1.4) or DRE (OR = 1.5) within the past 12 months. However, these disparities were reduced with control for SES (PSA: OR =1.2; DRE: OR = 1.3, P > 0.05). In contrast, at ages younger than 65, CA were equally or less likely to have received a recent PSA test or DRE, particularly at ages 45-49 years (PSA: OR = 0.7; DRE: OR = 0.9), with little change after SES adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with several screening recommendations, younger AA men, especially those younger than age 50, are more likely than CA to have had a recent PSA test or DRE, independent of SES. Of men older than age 65, less frequent use of screening among AA than CA seems partly attributable to SES and factors other than race.

Does nondipping of blood pressure at night reflect a trait of blunted cardiovascular responses to daily activities?

BACKGROUND: Individuals who fail to show a decline in blood pressure (BP) when asleep or at night (labeled nocturnal nondippers) are at elevated risk for hypertension and associated target-organ damage. PURPOSE: We tested whether the well-established changes in BP exhibited in response to daily activities are also blunted in nocturnal nondippers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 41 women and 56 men, aged 27 to 71 years, residing in Benin, Nigeria, enrolled in a health survey of civil servants. Ambulatory 24-hr BP monitoring was performed with concurrent diary recordings of physical activity level, posture, location, state of mental activity, interpersonal interaction, and mood obtained during the waking hours. RESULTS: Nocturnal nondippers exhibited smaller cardiovascular responses to changes in posture (from lying to sitting or to standing, ps <.02), location (from home to work or to driving/riding in a car, ps <.02), mental activity (from relaxed to active, p =.02), and mood (from feeling mellow to feeling elated-happy, p =.05) than did dippers. Statistical controls for posture substantially reduced the effects of nondipping status on responses to other daily activities and mood. Lack of systolic BP responsiveness to postural changes during the day is a strong predictor of nondipping status. CONCLUSIONS: Nondipping at night appears to extend to decreased cardiovascular responses to changes in activities during daytime hours.

Genetic variation in the apolipoprotein D gene among African blacks and its significance in lipid metabolism.

Apolipoprotein D (APOD, gene; apoD, protein) is a plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated glycoprotein, with a putative role in the cholesterol (CHOL) transport pathway. An apoD protein polymorphism has been previously reported by us. The cathodically shifted pattern seen on isoelectric focusing gels, controlled by the APOD*2 allele, was found to be unique to populations of African ancestry. To characterize the molecular basis of the protein polymorphism and to identify new mutations, we used a combination of SSCP, DHPLC and DNA sequencing techniques to screen the entire coding region of the APOD gene. We identified three distinct missense mutations, including Phe36Val, Tyr108Cys, and Thr158Lys with frequencies ranging from 2.1 to 2.8% in 722 African blacks from Nigeria. In addition, a common 8 bp deletion polymorphism was observed in intron 1 with a carrier frequency of 30.1%. The missense mutation, Thr158Lys correlated with the APOD*2 allele of the protein polymorphism. None of the 454 Caucasians screened for these polymorphisms showed any variation. We also determined the effect of these polymorphisms on plasma lipid levels in the African black population by generalized linear model (GLM). The Val36 allele was associated with significantly decreased HDL3-C (P=0.027) and apoA-I (P=0.030) levels among females. The Lys158 allele was associated with significantly increased Lp(a) (P=0.018) and triglyceride (P=0.017) levels, among females and males, respectively. In addition, males heterozygous for both intron 1 and codon 108 polymorphisms showed significantly increased HDL-C (P=0.011), HDL3-C (P=0.041), HDL2-C (P=0.009), apoA-I (P=0.005) and decreased LDL-C (P=0.025) levels. The results of our study show that the APOD gene harbors several polymorphisms, which are unique to African populations. Further study of these polymorphisms may help to characterize the role of apoD in lipid metabolism, and in cardiovascular disease among African populations.