Nutrition and health

Objectives:
Diabetes prevention is a public health priority. Vitamin D supplementation may help prevent the development of diabetes in persons at increased risk. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does vitamin D supplementation reduce risk of type 2 diabetes?

Study design:
This review article included 28 RCTs with 3,848 participants.

The sample size varied from 23 to 511.
The mean age of participants ranged from 26 years to 71 years.
The duration of follow-up across studies ranged from 2 months to 5 years, with a median follow-up of 22 weeks [interquartile range (IQR): 14 to 48 weeks], a duration long enough to detect changes in measured outcomes.

The average vitamin D supplementation dose of 88 µg/d (3500 IU/d).
All included trials measured the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum 25(OH)D concentrations.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found overall, serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the treated arms (vitamin D-supplemented groups) significantly improved by 45.1 nmol/L [95% CI = 41.3 to 48.9, p 0.001, I2 = 97.4%].

The investigators found compared with the control group, vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced HbA1c level by -0.48% [95% CI = -0.79 to -0.18, p = 0.002, I2 = 92.1%].
However, after adjusting the effect size for potential publication bias using the “trim and fill” method, 4 potentially missing studies were imputed in the funnel plot and the effect size increased from -0.48% [95% CI = -0.79 to -0.18] to -0.71% [95% CI = -1.02 to -0.39].

The investigators found compared with the control group, vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose level by -0.46 mmol/L [95% CI = -0.74 to -0.19, p = 0.001, I2 = 92.4%].  
However, after adjusting the effect size for potential publication bias using the “trim and fill” method, 6 potentially missing studies were imputed in the funnel plot and the effect size increased -0.46 mmol/L [95% CI = -0.74 to ­0.19] to -0.72 mmol/L [95% CI =-1.02 to -0.42].

The investigators found compared with the control group, vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced HOMA-IR level by -0.39 [95% CI = -0.68 to -0.11, p = 0.007, I2 = 91.3%].
However, after adjusting the effect size for potential publication bias using the “trim and fill” method, 5 potentially missing studies were imputed in the funnel plot and the effect size increased from -0.39 [95% CI = -0.68 to -0.11] to -0.62 [95% CI = -0.92 to -0.32].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis both HbA1c and HOMA-IR showed a greater reduction over time among overweight/obese individuals compared with prediabetics [HbA1c = -0.98 ± 0.45 vs -0.29 ± 0.14, p = 0.1 and HOMA-IR = -0.62 ± 0.23 vs -0.07 ± 0.16, p = 0.05].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis vitamin D supplementation significantly decreased HbA1c [p = 0.05], fasting plasma glucose level [p = 0.05] and HOMA-IR [p = 0.1] to a greater extent when serum 25(OH)D concentration achieved was above 86 nmol/L.

The investigators found in subgroup analysis vitamin D supplementation for less than 6 months provided a larger effect size on HbA1c in comparison with long durations [-0.75 ± 0.33 vs -0.25 ± 0.11, p = 0.1].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis HbA1c showed greater improvement in populations with a mean age younger than 45 years in comparison with older populations [-1.15 ± 0.6 vs -0.30 ± 0.1, p = 0.05].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis greater reductions were found within HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels when baseline (at the beginning of the study) mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was ≥50 nmol/L, whereas the lowering effect was significantly less in the subgroup with baseline mean 25(OH)D 50 nmol/L [HbA1c = -0.79 ± 0.25 vs -0.14 ± 0.13, p = 0.04 and fasting plasma glucose level = -0.69 ± 0.21 vs -0.11 ± 0.10, p = 0.05].

The investigators concluded 88 µg/d vitamin D supplementation during 22 weeks improves glycemic measures and insulin sensitivity and may be useful as part of a preventive strategy for type 2 diabetes, particularly among overweight/obese individuals younger than 45 years.

Original title:
Vitamin D Supplementation, Glycemic Control, and Insulin Resistance in Prediabetics: A Meta-Analysis by Mirhosseini N, Vatanparast H, [...], Kimball SM.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6016617/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes and vitamin D right here.

HbA1c, FPG, HOMA-IR and plasma glucose after 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (2HPG) are different parameters associated with (pre)diabetes.

 

Objectives:
Epidemiological studies regarding the association between dietary fiber intake and ovarian cancer risk are still inconsistent. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does dietary fiber intake reduce ovarian cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 10 case-control studies and 3 cohort studies, with a total of 5,777 ovarian cancer cases and 142,189 participants.

All the included studies provided RRs that were adjusted for energy intake and most provided RRs that were adjusted for age, oral contraceptive use, menopausal status and parity.
All the original studies measured dietary intakes using a food-frequency questionnaire. NOS scores ranged from 6 to 8 and 7 studies were considered high quality.

Funnel plot shapes demonstrated a symmetrical distribution and no evidence of publication bias was detected by the Egger’s regression test [p = 0.73].

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found for the highest vs. the lowest category of dietary fiber intake a significantly reduced risk of 22% [pooled multivariable RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.88, I2 = 4.20%, p = 0.40] for ovarian cancer.

The investigators found a significantly reduced risk of 12% [summarized RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.82 to 0.93, I2 = 7.3%, p = 0.38] for ovarian cancer per 10 g/day increase of dietary fiber intake.

The investigators found there was no evidence for a nonlinear association between dietary fiber intake and ovarian cancer risk [p for nonlinearity = 0.83].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis a significantly reduced risk of 23% [pooled RR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.90] for ovarian cancer in case-control studies. However, the reduced risk was not significant in cohort studies [pooled RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.65 to 1.10].

The investigators found sensitivity analysis showed that none of the studies influenced the combined results substantially, with a range from 0.77 [95% CI = 0.68 to 0.87] to 0.81 [95% CI = 0.71 to 0.91].

The investigators concluded that 10g dietary fiber intake per day may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer with 12%. May reduce because the reduced risk was not significant in cohort studies.

Original title:
Dietary fiber intake and reduced risk of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis by Zheng B, Shen H, […], Qin Y.

Link:
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0407-1

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on meta-analysis/cohort studies, fiber intake and cancer right here.

Objectives:
High potato intake has been suggested as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does potato intake increase risk of type 2 diabetes?

Study design:
This review article included 6 prospective cohort studies with a total of 4,545,230 person-year of follow-up and 17,758 diabetes cases.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found for every increment of 1 serving/day of total potato consumption a significantly increased risk of 20% [HR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.13 to 1.127, p 0.001, I2 = 27.1%, p for heterogeneity = 0.23] for type 2 diabetes both in men en women.

The investigators found for 2 servings/day of total potato consumption a significantly increased risk of 44% [HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.28 to 1.63] for type 2 diabetes both in men en women.

The investigators found for 3 servings/day of total potato consumption a significantly increased risk of 74% [HR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.45 to 2.09] for type 2 diabetes both in men en women.

The investigators found significant evidence of a non-linear association between total potato consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes [X2 = 17.5, p for linearity 0.001].

The investigators concluded that long-term high consumption of potato (each serving a day increase) is strongly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. These findings suggest that diet-health policy may be of importance in the prevention of diabetes.

Original title:
Potato consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: A dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies by Bidel Z, Teymoori F, […], Nazarzadeh M.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30144898

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes right here.

According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines a serving of potato is 1 cup diced, mashed or baked or 1 medium boiled potato.

 

Objectives:
Several B vitamins are essential in the one-carbon metabolism pathway, which is central to DNA methylation, synthesis and repair. Moreover, an imbalance in this pathway has been linked to certain types of cancers. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Is there a relationship between dietary vitamin intake and risk of esophageal cancer (EC)?

Study design:
This review article included 24 patient-control studies and 2 cohort studies with a total of 510,954 participants and 6,404 esophageal cancer cases, which included 1,919 esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) patients, 2,010 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and 2,475 esophageal cancer (EC) patients.

The quality scores of all studies ranged from 6 to 8, with a median score of 7.

There was no significant publication bias in the final analysis with respect to vitamin B2 [p = 0.244], vitamin B6 [p = 0.068], folate [p = 0.054] or vitamin B12 [p = 0.093].

A sensitivity analysis revealed that no individual study affected the pooled effect size.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found for the highest level versus the lowest level of dietary folate intake, a significantly reduced risk of 38% [pooled OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.56-0.68, I2 = 40.2%] for esophageal cancer.
Subgroup analysis revealed that this inverse correlation (reduced risk) was present in the US [OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.51-0.67], Europe [OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.40-0.65] and Australia [OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.58-0.95], but not in Asia [OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.59-1.01].

The investigators found in dose-response analysis that each 100 μg/day increase in dietary folate intake significantly reduced the risk of esophageal cancer by 12% [OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.86-0.91].
Significant means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found for the highest level versus the lowest level of dietary vitamin B6 intake, a significantly reduced risk of 41% [pooled OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.52-0.66, I2 = 46.8%] for esophageal cancer.
This inverse relationship remained significant in subgroup analyses for esophageal adenocarcinoma [OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.49-0.68] and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.33-0.67].

The investigators found in dose-response analysis, a significantly reduced risk of 18% [OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.76-0.88] for esophageal cancer for 2.0 mg/day of dietary vitamin B6 intake.

The investigators found in dose-response analysis, a significantly reduced risk of 33% [OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.59-0.75] for esophageal cancer for 2.5 mg/day of dietary vitamin B6 intake.

The investigators found in dose-response analysis, a significantly reduced risk of 45% [OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.44-0.67] for esophageal cancer for 3.0 mg/day of dietary vitamin B6 intake.

The investigators found in dose-response analysis that each 1 mg/day increase in dietary B6 increase significantly reduced the risk of esophageal cancer by 16% [OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.80-0.89].

The investigators found for the highest level versus the lowest level of dietary vitamin B12 intake, a significantly increased risk of 30% [pooled OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05-1.62, I2 = 73.5%] for esophageal cancer.
A subgroup analysis based on geographic location revealed similar results in the US [OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.03-1.53] and Europe [OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.16-5.53], but not in Australia [OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.73-1.19].
A subgroup analysis based on histological type revealed that this correlation was present among patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma [OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.02-2.11], but not among patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.63-1.61].

The investigators found in dose-response analysis that each 1 μg/day increase in dietary B12 intake significantly increased the risk of esophageal cancer by 2% [OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.00-1.03].

The investigators concluded that both dietary vitamin B6 intake (at least 1 mg/day) and dietary folate intake (at least 100 μg/day) are inversely correlated with esophageal cancer risk, whereas dietary vitamin B12 intake (at least 1 μg/day) increases esophageal cancer risk.

Original title:
Intake of Dietary One-Carbon Metabolism-Related B Vitamins and the Risk of Esophageal Cancer: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis by Qiang Y, Li Q, […], Wang F.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073467/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on folate, vitamin B6 and B12 and cancer right here.

Objectives:
Many studies were conducted to explore the relationship between dietary protein intake and risk of prostate cancer, obtaining inconsistent results. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does dietary protein intake increase risk of prostate cancer?

Study design:
This review article included a total of 8 cohort studies, 5 case-control studies and 1 RCT, comprising 13,483 prostate cancer cases among 286,245 participants.

Begg’s funnel plots and Egger’s test [p = 0.296] indicated that no publication bias was found in overall analysis.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in the overall analysis there was no association with prostate cancer risk when comparing the highest protein intake with the lowest protein intake [summary RR = 0.993, 95% CI = 0.930-1.061, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.656].
The sensitivity analysis showed that there is no single study that had potential effects on the overall result while removing a study at a time.

The investigators found in the stratified analysis by protein type, the association was non-significant on prostate cancer risk in both animal protein intake [RR = 1.001, 95% CI = 0.917-1.092] and vegetable protein intake [RR = 0.986, 95% CI = 0.904-1.076].
Non-significant because RR of 1 was found in the 95% CI of 0.917 to 1.092. RR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators found there was also no significant association in cohort studies [RR = 1.080, 95% CI = 0.964-1.209] and in case-control studies [RR = 0.960, 95% CI = 0.874-1.055].

The investigators found there was no association with prostate cancer localized-stage disease risk when comparing the highest protein intake with the lowest protein intake [summary RR = 1.263, 95% CI = 0.953-1.674].

The investigators found there was no association with prostate cancer advanced-stage disease risk when comparing the highest protein intake with the lowest protein intake [summary RR = 0.973, 95% CI = 0.745-1.272].

The investigators concluded that there is no effect on prostate cancer with high-protein intake. Since some limitations exited in this review article, future studies are wanted to confirm the result.

Original title:
Association between dietary protein intake and prostate cancer risk: evidence from a meta-analysis by Ye M, Yan T and Jing D.

Link:
https://wjso.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12957-018-1452-0

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on protein and cancer right here.

Objectives:
There has been accumulating evidence that several micronutrients may play a protective role in the risk of solid cancers. However, their role in hematological malignancies remains to be elucidated. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Is there a relationship between vitamin intake and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma?

Study design:
This review article included a total of 12 cohort studies.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found null associations regarding
-supplemented vitamin A [pooled RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.80-1.07];
-supplemented vitamin C [pooled RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.90-1.12];
-total vitamin D [pooled RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.91-1.20];
-supplemented vitamin E [pooled RR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.88-1.10] and;
-dietary lycopene intake [pooled RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.86-1.16] and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The investigators found no summary estimates were provided for other hematological malignancies due to the limited number of studies.

The investigators concluded there is no association between vitamin A, C, D, E and lycopene and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Original title:
Micronutrient Intake and Risk of Hematological Malignancies in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies by Psaltopoulou T, Ntanasis-Stathopoulos I, […], Sergentanis TN.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30288994

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on vitamin A, C, D, E and lycopene right here.

Objectives:
There were inconsistent results with respect to the correlation between consumption of wine and the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does consumption of wine increase colorectal cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included a total of 8 case-control studies and 9 cohort studies, involving 12,110 colorectal cancer cases.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found that wine drinking was not associated with any greater risk for colorectal cancer [SRR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.89-1.10, p-heterogeneity 0.001] compared with nondrinkers.

The investigators found subgroup analyses (to get more information) indicated that null associations were observed in men and women for colon and rectal cancer.

The investigators found subgroup analyses showed neither light to moderate [2 drinks/day: SRR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.80-1.08, I2 = 69.2%] nor heavy [≥2 drinks/day: SRR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.86-1.16, I2 = 39.9%] consumption of wine was associated statistically with colorectal cancer risk.

The investigators concluded that wine consumption is not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. Furthermore, null associations are found in men and women for colon and rectal cancer.

Original title:
Wine consumption and colorectal cancer risk: a meta-analysis of observational studies by Xu W, Fan H, [...], Ge Z.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30247171

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Find more information/studies on review article/significant/heterogeneity, colorectal cancer and wine consumption right here.

Objectives:
Does dietary carrot intake reduce breast cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included a total of 10 articles involving 13,747 cases (women with breast cancer).

A significant heterogeneity was observed among studies.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found for the highest compared with the lowest dietary carrot intake a significantly reduced risk of 21% for breast cancer [OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.90]. Omission of any single study (=sensitivity analysis) had little effect on the combined risk estimate.

The investigators found in the subgroup analyses separated by study design, the inverse associations were more pronounced in the case-control studies than in the cohort studies, while the associations did not significantly differ by geographical region, study quality, exposure assessment.

The investigators concluded that high intake of dietary carrot reduces breast cancer risk.

Original title:
Association between dietary carrot intake and breast cancer: A meta-analysis by Chen H, Shao F, […], Miao Q.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30212943

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on review article/significant/heterogeneity, breast cancer and carrot consumption right here.

Objectives:
Several studies have been published about the effect of garlic on lipid profile and blood glucose in diabetic patients. Which, the results mostly contradict with each other. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does garlic improve lipid profile and blood glucose in diabetic patients?

Study design:
This review article included 33 articles with a total of 1,273 individuals, with a mean of 39 samples per study.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found the concentration of serum total cholesterol significantly decreased wih 16.87 mg/dL [95% CI = -21.01 to -12.73, p = 0.001] in the garlic group when compared with the placebo group.

The investigators found the concentration of serum LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) significantly decreased with 9.65 mg/dL [95% CI = -15.07 to -4.23, p = 0.001] in the garlic group when compared with the placebo group.

The investigators found the concentration of serum triglycerides significantly decreased with 12.44 mg/dL [95% CI = -18.19 to -6.69, p = 0.001] in the garlic group when compared with the placebo group.

The investigators found the concentration of serum HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) significantly increased with 3.19 mg/dL [95% CI = 1.85 to 4.53, p = 0.001] in the garlic group when compared with the placebo group.

The investigators found the concentration of serum fasting blood sugar significantly decreased with 10.90 mg/dL [95% CI = -16.40 to -5.40, p = 0.001] in the garlic group when compared with the placebo group.

The investigators found the concentration of serum HbA1c significantly decreased with 0.60 mg/dL [95% CI = -0.98 to -0.22, p = 0.001] in the garlic group when compared with the placebo group.

The investigators concluded that garlic improves lipid profile as well as glucose parameters and can be therapeutically effective in patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Original title:
The effect of garlic on lipid profile and glucose parameters in diabetic patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis by Shabani E, Sayemiri K and Mohammadpour M.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30049636

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes, cholesterol, meta-analyses/heterogeneity and garlic right here.

 

Objectives:
Do dietary flavonoid intake reduce colorectal cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 5 prospective cohort and 7 case-control studies with a tolal of 17,481 cases (persons with colorectal cancer) and 740,859 controls (persons without colorectal cancer).

All studies were adjusted for a wide range of potential confounders of colorectal cancer, such as age, gender, BMI, physical activity, family history of colorectal cancer, education, energy intake, alcohol, fiber intake, red and processed meat intake, tobacco, aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

There was no publication bias.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found that there was no significant association between colorectal cancer risk and total flavonoid intake, with a pooled OR from the combination of the included studies of 0.73 [95% CI = 0.48-1.10] for the highest category of intake vs. the lowest category. Similarly, no association between the intake of flavanones or flavan-3-ols and the risk of colorectal cancer was observed.

The investigators found in subgroup analysis of both cohort and case-control studies that when compared with the lowest, the highest intake of dietary flavonols significanty reduced risk of colorectal cancer with 30% [OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.54-0.90]. Nevertheless, substantial heterogeneities existed across the studies.
However, this reduced risk was not significant in cohort studies [pooled RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.92-1.08].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis of both cohort and case-control studies that when compared with the lowest, the highest intake of dietary flavones significanty reduced risk of colorectal cancer with 21% [OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.83-0.99]. Nevertheless, substantial heterogeneities existed across the studies.
However, this reduced risk was not significant in cohort studies [pooled RR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.94-1.11].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis of both cohort and case-control studies that when compared with the lowest, the highest intake of dietary anthocyanidins significanty reduced risk of colorectal cancer with 22% [OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.64-0.95]. Nevertheless, substantial heterogeneities existed across the studies. 
However, this reduced risk was not significant in cohort studies [pooled RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.91-1.10].

The investigators found dose-response meta-analysis indicated that an increment of dietary flavones intake of 1 mg per day significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer with 9% [pooled OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.84-0.99].

The investigators found dose-response meta-analysis indicated that an increment of dietary flavonols intake of 10 mg per day significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer with 14% [pooled OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.76-0.97].

The investigators found that high intake of flavonols significantly decreased risk of colon cancer with 20% [OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.68-0.94].
Significantly means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found that high intake of flavones significantly decreased risk of rectal cancer with 18% [OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.70-0.97].
Significantly because OR of 1 was not found in the 95% CI of 0.70 to 0.97. OR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators concluded that high intake of dietary flavonols, flavones and anthocyanidins may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. May decrease because substantial heterogeneities existed across the studies and the reduced risk was not significant in cohort studies.

Original title:
Dietary Flavonoids and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies by Chang H, Lin Lei L, […], Guohua Zhao G.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073812/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on review article/significant/publication bias, colorectal cancer and flavonoids right here.

The results of a review article are only reliable when they are also found in cohort studies. Thus, the significantly reduced risk must be found in both patient-control studies (more sensitive to errors) and cohort studies (less susceptible to errors).

Objectives:
Controversial results have been reported concerning the influence of calcium intake on prostate cancer risk. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does calcium intake increase prostate cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 11 cohort studies and 1 case control study.

The average age of majority was between 50-70 years and also about 83%of articles had been performed in the USA.

Begg’s test showed the effect of publication bias was significant for relationship between calcium intake and total prostate cancer [p = 0.02] and the relationship between total calcium and localized prostate cancer [p = 0.03].

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found that total calcium intake significantly increased the total prostate cancer risk with 15% [overall RR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.04-1.27, I2 = 59.7%, p = 0.006].
Sensitivity analysis by removing one study at the same time indicated that the overall RR was robust.

The investigators found in studies with follow-up more than 10 years a significantly increased risk of 22% [RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.07-1.38] for total prostate for total calcium intake.

The investigators found in 9 studies a significantly increased risk of 9% [RR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.01-1.18] for total prostate cancer for 750 mg calcium intake per day.

The investigators found in 8 cohort studies, no association between total calcium intake and localized prostate cancer [RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.96-1.14].

The investigators found in 7 cohort studies, no association between total calcium intake and advance prostate cancer [RR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.89-1.50].

The investigators concluded that calcium intake of 750 mg per day could be considered as a risk factor for total prostate cancer. Could be because there was publication bias.

Original title:
Total Calcium (Dietary and Supplementary) Intake and Prostate Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Rahmati S, Azami M, […], Sayehmiri K.

Link:
http://journal.waocp.org/?sid=Entrez:PubMed&id=pmid:29936714&key=2018.19.6.1449

Additional information of El Mondo:
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Objectives:
The purpose of this review article is to review previously published meta-analyses on the effectiveness of dietary fiber on type 2 diabetes.

Study design:
This umbrella review article included 16 meta-analyses.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in the meta-analyses when comparing highest versus lowest dietary fiber intake, a statistically significant reduced risk of 15 to 19% [RR = 0.81-0.85] for type 2 diabetes. However, statistically significant heterogeneity was observed in all of these meta-analyses.

The investigators found in the meta-analyses when comparing highest versus lowest dietary cereal fibers, a statistically significant reduced risk of 13 to 33% [RR = 0.67-0.87] for type 2 diabetes. However, statistically significant heterogeneity was observed in all of these meta-analyses.

The investigators found in the meta-analyses of supplementation studies using β-glucan or psyllium fibers on type 2 diabetic participants, statistically significant reductions were identified in both fasting blood glucose concentrations and glycosylated hemoglobin percentages.

The investigators concluded that those consuming the highest amounts of dietary fiber, especially cereal fiber, may benefit from a reduction in the incidence of developing type 2 diabetes. May benefit because statistically significant heterogeneity was observed in all of these meta-analyses.
There also appears to be a small reduction in fasting blood glucose concentration, as well as a small reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin percentage for individuals with type 2 diabetes who add β-glucan or psyllium to their daily dietary intake.

Original title:
Dietary Fiber Intake and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses by McRae MP.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29628808

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes, meta-analyses/heterogeneity and dietary fiber right here.

 

Objectives:
The association between dietary protein intake and type 2 diabetes risk has been inconsistent in the previous epidemiological studies. Therefore, this review article (meta-analysis) has been conducted.

Is there an association between dietary protein intake and type 2 diabetes risk?

Study design:
This review article included 10 prospective cohort studies with a total of 34,221 type 2 diabetes cases.
No publication bias was detected.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found after adjustment of potential confounders, a 5% of energy (5 En%) increment from dietary total protein intake was related to a significantly 9% [95 CI = 1.04-1.13, I2 = 42.0%] higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The results were robust in sensitivity analysis.

The investigators found after adjustment of potential confounders, a 5% of energy (5 En%) increment from dietary animal protein intake was related to a significantly 12% [95 CI = 1.08-1.17, I2 = 14.0%] higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The results were robust in sensitivity analysis.

The investigators found after adjustment of potential confounders, a significant U-shaped curve was observed for plant protein intake with the most risk reduction at about 6% of energy from plant protein intake [p nonlinearity = 0.001]. The results were robust in sensitivity analysis.

The investigators concluded that the consumption of protein, particularly animal protein increases risk of type 2 diabetes.

Original title:
Dietary protein intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies by Zhao LG, Zhang QL, [...], Xiang YB.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29858629

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes and protein right here.

 

Objectives:
The association between coffee consumption and the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) has been evaluated in several epidemiological studies with conflicting results. Therefore, this meta-analysis (systematic review) has been conducted.

Does coffee consumption reduce level of C-reactive protein in humans?

Study design:
This review article included a total of 9 cross-sectional studies.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found according to the combined standard mean difference (SMD) between the highest and the lowest coffee intake category, coffee consumption was associated with a significantly lower level of serum CRP level [SMD = -0.34, 95% CI = -0.62 to -0.06, p = 0.016].

The investigators found subgroup analysis for CRP marker showed that coffee consumption was associated with a significantly lower level of serum high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) [SMD = -0.51, 95% CI = -0.88 to -0.14, p = 0.007], but not standard CRP [SMD = 0.02, 95% CI = -0.28 to 0.32, p = 0.913].

The investigators concluded that coffee consumption is associated with a lower level of serum CRP, particularly serum high-sensitivity CRP. However, more well-designed prospective cohort studies are needed to elaborate the concerned issues further.

Original title:
Is coffee consumption associated with a lower level of serum C-reactive protein? A meta-analysis of observational studies by Zhang Y and Zhang DZ.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29405789

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on coffee and chronic disease right here.

 

Objectives:
Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading cause cancer among men worldwide. Many epidemiologic studies have reported an association between carbohydrate intake and prostate cancer. However, the evidence from epidemiologic studies is inconsistent. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does carbodydrate intake increase prostate cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 21 studies published from 1980 to 2018, including 98,739 participants and 11,573 cases (persons with prostate cancer).

Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using random-effect models.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found no association between higher carbohydrate intake and prostate cancer risk [OR =1.11, 95% CI = 0.98-1.26, I2 = 62.7%].
No association because OR of 1 was found in the 95% CI of 0.98 to 1.26. RR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators found no association between higher carbohydrate intake and advanced prostate cancer risk [OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.78-1.16, I2 = 14.1%].

The investigators found no association between higher carbohydrate intake and non-advanced prostate cancer risk [OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.79-1.29, I2 = 64.4%].

The investigators found there was not a significant dose-response association observed for carbohydrate intake with prostate cancer risk and advanced prostate cancer risk.

The investigators concluded that there is no association between carbohydrate intake and prostate cancer risk. Nor is association detected about carbohydrate intake with advanced or non-advanced prostate cancer risk. More studies are needed for a further dose-response meta-analysis.

Original title:
Carbohydrate intake and the risk of prostate cancer by Fan LL, Su HX, […], Nan CJ.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29778541

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on cancer and carbohydrate right here.

Objectives:
Several epidemiological studies have assessed the ability of vitamin B2 to prevent colorectal cancer (CRC), but the results are controversial. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does vitamin B2 intake reduce colorectal cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included a total of 14 studies reporting vitamin B2 intake and 2 studies reporting blood vitamin B2 concentration, comprising 14,934 cases (persons with colorectal cancer) and 1,593 cases (persons with colorectal cancer), respectively.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in pooled analysis a significantly reduced risk of 13% [RR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.81-0.93] for colorectal cancer for vitamin B2 intake.
Significant means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found in subgroup analysis a significantly reduced risk of 14% [RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.78-0.94] for colorectal cancer for vitamin B2 intake from diet and supplements.

The investigators found in subgroup analysis a significantly reduced risk of 11% [RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.82-0.98] for colorectal cancer for dietary vitamin B2 intake.

The investigators found the dose-response model indicated a non-linear trend and colorectal cancer risk was reduced by 10% when vitamin B2 intake increased to 5 mg/day.

The investigators found that high blood concentrations of vitamin B2 significantly reduced the colorectal cancer risk with 26% [RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.59-0.92].

The investigators concluded that both higher vitamin B2 intake (5 mg per dag) and higher blood vitamin B2 concentration reduce colorectal cancer risk. These results suggest the importance of vitamin B2 intake in the prevention of colorectal cancer.

Original title:
Vitamin B2 intake reduces the risk for colorectal cancer: a dose-response analysis by Ben S, Du M, [...], Wang M.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29744609

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on vitamin B2 and colorectal cancer right here.

Objectives:
Is there an association between wine consumption and prostate cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 6 cohort and 8 case-control studies with a total of 455,413 subjects regarding moderate wine consumption and risk of prostate cancer.

There was no evidence of publication bias.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in pooled analysis of cohort studies (438,302 subjects from which 19,238 developed prostate cancer during observation/follow-up) no association between moderate wine consumption and prostate cancer risk [pooled RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.96-1.15, p = 0.22, I2 = 0%]. 

The investigators found in multivariable analysis that moderate red wine consumption was associated with a significantly decreased risk of 12% for prostate cancer [pooled RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78-0.999, p = 0.047, I2 = 0%]. 

The investigators found in multivariable analysis that moderate white wine consumption increased significantly the risk of prostate cancer with 26% [pooled RR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.10-1.43, p = 0.001, I2 = 34.4%].

The investigators concluded that moderate consumption of white wine increases the risk of prostate cancer, whereas moderate consumption of red wine has a protective role. This hypothesis-generating data should serve as a rationale for uncovering the molecular underpinnings of this differential effect in order to potentially devise prevention strategies in the at-risk population.

Original title:
The impact of moderate wine consumption on the risk of developing prostate cancer by Vartolomei MD, Kimura S, […], Shariat SF.
 
Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5909789/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on alcohol consumption and cancer right here.

Objectives:
Epidemiological studies exploring the role of flavonoids intake in preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) showed inconsistent results. Therefore, this review article (meta-analysis) has been conducted.

Does flavonoids intake decrease risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

Study design:
This review article included 10 independent cohorts published between 2002 and 2017 with a total of 312,015 participants, of which 19,953 type 2 diabetes cases were identified during the follow-up periods from 4 to 28 years.
All participants were free of type 2 diabetes at baseline (at the beginning of the study), with age ranging from 28 to 75 years.
Dietary flavonoids intake was evaluated using food-frequency questionnaire and type 2 diabetes was frequently ascertained through medical records.
In the original studies, the median intake level of total flavonoids was 8.9 to 501.8 mg/day for the lowest categories and 33.2 to 1452.3 mg/day for the highest categories.
The most commonly adjusted variables included age, sex, total energy intake, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity.
All included studies had a NOS score of ≥7, with an average score of 7.9, indicating the presence of high methodological quality.

There was no indication of publication bias from visual inspection of the funnel plot, which was further confirmed by Egger test [p = 0.253].

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found when compared with the lowest intake, the highest intake of total flavonoids was associated with a significantly 9% decreased risk of type 2 diabetes [RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.86-0.96, I2  =  21%, p =  0.257].
In stratified analyses, the pooled RR for total flavonoids intake was not modified by sample size, sex, follow-up duration and study location.
Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed that no individual study had a significant influence on the final result.

The investigators found in subgroup analyses when compared with the lowest intake, the highest intake of anthocyanidins significantly decreased risk of type 2 diabetes with 11% [RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.82-0.95].

The investigators found in subgroup analyses when compared with the lowest intake, the highest intake of flavan-3-ols significantly decreased risk of type 2 diabetes with 14% [RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.78-0.95].

The investigators found in subgroup analyses when compared with the lowest intake, the highest intake of flavonols significantly decreased risk of type 2 diabetes with 14% [RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.80-0.94].

The investigators found in subgroup analyses when compared with the lowest intake, the highest intake of isoflavones significantly decreased risk of type 2 diabetes with 9% [RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.84-0.98].

The investigators found in 9 cohort studies a curvilinear relationship between total flavonoids intake and type 2 diabetes risk [p for nonlinearity = 0.042] with a significant risk reduction at an intake of ≥550 mg/day.

The investigators found when assuming a linear association, the risk of type 2 diabetes was reduced by 5% [RR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93-0.97] for each 300-mg/day increment in total flavonoids intake.

The investigators concluded that intakes of total flavonoids, particularly ≥550 mg/day, anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and isoflavones are associated with significantly decreased risks of type 2 diabetes in the highest versus lowest analyses. Additionally, the dose-response analysis suggest a curvilinear relationship of total flavonoids intake with type 2 diabetes risk; when assuming a linear manner, the risk of type 2 diabetes is reduced by 5% for an increment of 300 mg/day in total flavonoids intake.

Original title:
Flavonoids intake and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies by Xu H, Luo J, [...], Wen Q.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5959406/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes and flavonoids right here.

Objectives:
There is an increasing trend in the consumption of poor-quality diets worldwide, contributing to the increase of non-communicable diseases. Diet directly influences physiological composition and subsequently physical health. Studies have shown that dietary macronutrient and energy content can influence the proportion of intramuscular fat (IMF), which mediates various metabolic and endocrine dysfunction. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Do different types of dietary macronutrient intake increase the proportion of intramuscular fat?

Study design:
This review article included 13 trials (RCTs, quasi-RCTs, controlled trials, randomized controlled crossover trials or controlled crossover trials).

High-fat diets were diets with a proportion of fat between 38 and 85 En%. Participants in high-fat diets were all young to middle aged adults with ages varying between 18 and 50 years.

Participants in starvation diets (a decrease of 25% calorie from weight maintenance energy requirements) and hypocaloric diets (890 calories per day, until 15% weight reduction) followed the diet for 8 days with a 3-week washout period in between.

Cohen’s criteria were used to determine the effect size of SMDs, where a SMD between 0.2 and 0.5 is small, a SMD between 0.5 and 0.8 is moderate and a SMD above 0.8 is large. SMDs below 0.2 were considered unsubstantial.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in 6 studies with in a total of 134 participants receiving a high-fat intervention and 135 people receiving a control intervention, that high-fat diets (38 and 85 En% fat) significantly increased the proportion of intramuscular fat [SMD = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.43-2.05, p  = 0.003, I2 = 87%].  
Sensitivity analysis (excluding studies with a quality value 20, smallest sample size 8 and those that do not specify participant characteristics) showed a significantly SMD of 1.26 [95% CI = 0.23-2.28, p = 0.02]. 

The investigators found diets with an increased proportion of carbohydrates decreased the proportion of intramuscular fat.
However, increasing caloric intake with carbohydrates compared to a standardized diet (55 En% carbohydrates, 30 En% fat and 15 En% protein) increased the proportion of intramuscular fat.

The investigators found starvation diets (a decrease of 25% calorie from weight maintenance energy requirements) increased intramuscular fat stores and hypocaloric diets (890 calories per day, until 15% weight reduction) did not result in any intramuscular fat proportion changes.

The investigators concluded that high-fat diets (38 y 85 En%), excessive caloric intake in the form of carbohydrates and short-term starvation diets are associated with increases in the proportion of intramuscular fat. However, further studies are needed to assess the effects of macronutrient combinations on intramuscular fat and the influence of diet-induced intramuscular fat alterations on health outcomes. In addition, intramuscular fat poses a possibly effective clinical marker of health.

Original title:
The Effects of Diet on the Proportion of Intramuscular Fat in Human Muscle: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis by Ahmed S, Singh D, [...], Kumbhare D.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5826234/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on fat and carbohydrates consumption and diabetes right here.

Higher intramuscular fat levels are positively associated with insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Objectives:
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth most frequent cause of cancer death in the whole world. Many studies have investigated the association between citrus fruit intake and the risk of esophageal cancer, but the results are inconsistent and not analyzed by category. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does citrus fruit intake reduce esophageal cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 20 case-control studies and 5 cohort studies.
The studies were published between 1983 and 2015 with a total of 2,456 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) (range 47-395), 1,284 esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) (range 67-282) and 1,990 esophageal cancer (EC) (range 53-1,246).

The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) scores of 25 clinical trials range from 5 to 9, with an average of approximately 7. The median score was 6.75 for case-control studies and 8 for cohort studies.

There was no evidence of publication bias. 

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in 10 case-control studies and 3 cohort studies a significantly reduced risk of 41% [pooled RR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.47-0.76, I2 = 60.7%, p  = 0 .002] for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the citrus fruit consumption group.
Significant because RR of 1 was not found in the 95% CI of 0.47 to 0.76. RR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators found in 5 case-control studies and 3 cohort studies a non-significantly reduced risk of 14% [pooled RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.74-1.01, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.598] for esophageal adenocarcinoma in the citrus fruit consumption group.
Non-significantly because RR of 1 was found in the 95% CI of 0.74 to 1.01. RR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators found in 20 case-control studies and 5 cohort studies a significantly reduced risk of 35% [pooled RR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.56-0.75, I2 = 51.1%, p = 0.001] for esophageal cancer in the citrus fruit consumption group.

The investigators found in subgroup analysis significant inverse associations between citrus fruit intake and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in cohort studies [OR  =  0.66, 95% CI = 0.49-0.88] and hospital-based cohort studies [OR  =  0.82, 95% CI = 0.33-0.75], but not in population-based cohort studies [OR  =  0.82, 95% CI = 0.62-1.09].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis significant inverse associations between citrus fruit intake and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in >7 scores studies [OR =  0.56, 95% CI = 0.43-0.72].

The investigators concluded that citrus fruit intake reduces risk of esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, further studies are warranted to find which constituents in citrus fruit prevent esophageal cancer and its mechanism.

Original title:
Intakes of citrus fruit and risk of esophageal cancer: A meta-analysis by Zhao W, Liu L and Xu S.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895383/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on fruit consumption and cancer right here.

Objectives:
The relationship between vitamin intake and pancreatic cancer (PC) risk is disputed. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Is there a relationship between dietary vitamin intake and pancreatic cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 25 observational studies with a total of 1,214,995 individuals, of which 8,000 pancreatic cancer cases.

In the identified studies, 10 were population-based case-control studies, 4 were hospital-based case-control studies, 2 were RCTs, 9 were cohort studies, 11 were prospective studies and 14 were retrospective studies.
The number of participants ranged from 305 to 537,218 and pancreatic cancer cases ranged from 79 to 2,383.
Quality scores of included case-control and cohort studies ranged from 7 to 9 with an average score of about 8.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in prospective cohort studies a significantly reduced risk of 10% [multivariable-adjusted RR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83-0.98, I2 = 11%] for pancreatic cancer when comparing the highest dietary vitamin intake with the lowest, particularly for 10 μg/d dietary intake of vitamin D [multivariable-adjusted RR = 0.75, 95% BI = 0.60-0.93, I2  =  59%].

The investigators concluded that a high dietary vitamin intake decreases the risk of pancreatic cancer, particularly for 10 μg/d dietary intake of vitamin D.

Original title:
Vitamin intake and pancreatic cancer risk reduction: A meta-analysis of observational studies by Liu Y, Wang X, [...], Liu S.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895396/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on vitamin D and cancer right here.

A review article (a collection of scientific studies on a specific topic) of cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".

Objectives:
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. The association between body mass index (BMI) and breast cancer risk has been paid more attention in the past few years, but the findings are still controversial. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Is there a relationship between BMI and breast cancer risk among women?

Study design:
This review article included 12 prospective cohort studies comprising 22,728,674 women.

All studies were published from 2004 to 2014, with the mean duration of follow-up varying from 4.29 to 10.8 years.
The sample size of included studies ranged from 15,054 to 1,222,630 women.
The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was applied to assess the quality of the included studies and the results showed all studies were of high quality, with a Newcastle-Ottawa scale score of ≥7.
There was no evidence of publication bias with Egger’s test [p = 0.74] and the funnel plot showed no sign of asymmetry by visual inspection.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found overall results showed a weak positive association between a 5-unit increase in BMI and breast cancer risk, indicating that a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI corresponded to a 2% increase in breast cancer risk [SRR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01-1.04, p 0.001, I2 = 74.2%, p = 0.00]. The results were statistically robust in sensitivity analyses.

The investigators found in subgroup analysis that higher BMI significantly reduced breast cancer risk with 2% among premenopausal women [SRR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.96-0.99, p 0.001].

The investigators found there was evidence of a linear association between BMI and breast cancer risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women [p nonlinearity = 0.892 and p nonlinearity = 0.630, respectively].

The investigators concluded that every 5 kg/m² increase in BMI corresponds to a 2% increase in breast cancer risk in women. However, higher BMI is a protective factor of breast cancer risk for premenopausal women. Further studies are necessary to verify these findings and elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms.

Original title:
Association between body mass index and breast cancer risk: evidence based on a dose-response meta-analysis by Liu K, Zhang W, [...], Dai Z.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783020/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on cohort studies/significant and cancer right here.

Objectives:
Observationally, homocysteine is associated with higher risk of diabetes. Folate, which reduces homocysteine, is promising for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Previous meta-analysis (review) of 3 trials suggested folate might lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Therefore, this review article (meta-analysis) has been conducted.

Have folic acid supplementation positive effects on insulin resistance and glycemic control, like HbA1c level and fasting glucose level?

Study design:
This review article included 18 RCTs with in total of 21,081 people with/without diabetes.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found that folic acid (folate) supplementation significantly reduced fasting glucose level with 0.15 mmol/L [95% CI = -0.29 to -0.01]. Significant means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found that folic acid (folate) supplementation significantly reduced homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) with 0.83 [95% CI = -1.31 to -0.34].

The investigators found that folic acid (folate) supplementation significantly reduced fasting insulin level with 1.94 μIU/mL [95% CI = -3.28 to -0.61].

The investigators found that folic acid (folate) supplementation had no clear effect on diabetes or HbA1c level.

The investigators concluded that folic acid (folate) supplementation reduces both fasting glucose level, fasting insulin level and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) but it has no effect on diabetes or HbA1c level.

Original title:
The effects of folate supplementation on glucose metabolism and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Zhao JV, Schooling CM and Zhao JX.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29501221

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes and folic acid right here.

Patients with diabetes often have both an increased fasting glucose level, HOMA-IR value and fasting insulin level.

Objectives:
Multiple epidemiologic studies have evaluated the relationship between dietary cholesterol and lung cancer risk, but the association is controversial and inconclusive. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does consumption of dietary cholesterol increase risk of lung cancer?

Study design:
This review article included 10 case-control studies (6,894 lung cancer cases and 29,736 controls/persons with no lung cancer) and 6 cohort studies (1,769 lung cancer cases among 241,920 participants).

The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scores for the included studies ranged from 6 to 9 and all studies were deemed to be of high quality (≥6).

There was no evidence of publication bias observed. Case-control studies: Egger’s test, p = 0.737, Begg’s test, p = 0.213 and cohort studies: Egger’s test, p = 0.459, Begg’s test, p = 1.000.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in case-control studies that a high dietary cholesterol intake significantly increased lung cancer risk with 70% [OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.43-2.03, I2 = 42.3%, p = 0.067]. No significant change in the result was found in the sensitivity analysis.

The investigators found in cohort studies no association between a high dietary cholesterol intake and lung cancer risk [RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.94-1.25, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.833]. No significant change in the result was found in the sensitivity analysis.

The investigators found in 6 case-control studies that a high dietary total fat intake significantly increased lung cancer risk with 64% [OR = 1.64, 95% BI = 1.16-2.33, I2 = 68.7%, p = 0.004]. No significant change in the result was found in the sensitivity analysis.

The investigators concluded that a high dietary cholesterol intake might increase lung cancer risk. Might increase because the increased risk was not significant in cohort studies. Therefore, carefully designed and well-conducted cohort studies are needed to identify the association between dietary cholesterol and lung cancer risk.

Original title:
Dietary Cholesterol Intake and Risk of Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis by Lin X, Liu L, […], Lian X.

Link:
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/2/185/htm

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on cohort studies/significant, cholesterol consumption and cancer right here.

A high dietary cholesterol intake is an intake of more than 200-300 mg cholesterol per day.

The result of a review article is only reliable when the result is also significant in cohort studies (thus not only significant in case-control studies).
 

Objectives:
The increasing prevalence of diabetes in the United Kingdom and worldwide calls for new approaches to its management and diets with low glycaemic index have been proposed as a useful means for managing glucose response. However, there are conflicting reports and differences in the results of studies in terms of their effectiveness. Furthermore, the impact of low-glycaemic index diets (low GI-diets) and their long-term use in patients with type 2 diabetes remains unclear. Therefore, this review article (meta-analysis) has been conducted.

Do patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus benefit from low-GI diets?

Study design:
This review article included 6 RCTs.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in 2 RCTs that low-glycaemic index (low-GI) diet resulted in a significant improvement in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) [0.05]:
low-GI diet Δ = -0.5% [95% CI = -0.61% to -0.39%] vs. high-cereal fibre diet Δ = -0.18% [95% CI = -0.29% to -0.07%] and;
low-GI legume diet Δ = -0.5% [95% = -0.6% to -0.4%] vs. high-wheat fibre diet Δ = -0.3% [95% Cl = -0.4 to -0.2%].

The investigators found in 4 RCTs significant improvements in fasting blood glucose in low-GI diets compared to higher-GI diets or control:
low-GI diet = [150.8 ± 8.7] vs. higher-GI diet = [157.8 ± 10.4 mg/dL, mean ± SD, p = 0.43];
low-GI diet = [127.7] vs. high-cereal fibre diet = [136.8 mg/dL, p = 0.02];
low-GI diet = [6.5 (5.6-8.4)] vs. standard diabetic diet = [6.7 (6.1-7.5 mmol/L), median and interquartile range p > 0.05] and;
low-GI diet = [7.3 ± 0.3] vs. conventional carbohydrate exchange diet = [7.7 ± 0.4 mmol/L, mean ± SEM (Standard Error of Mean), p 0.05].

The investigators concluded that the low-GI diet is more effective in controlling glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose compared with a higher-GI diet or control in patients with type 2 diabetes. It will useful to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of low-glycaemic index diet in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Original title:
The Effect of Dietary Glycaemic Index on Glycaemia in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials by Ojo O, Ojo OO, [...], Wang XH.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872791/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on diabetes and GI-diets right here.

A low-GI diet is a diet with a lot of products/meals with a low GI.
Products/meals with a low GI are products/meals with a GI-number of 55 or less.
In daily life, products/meals with a low GI contain at least 1.5 grams fiber per 100 kcal. These products and meals contain at least 1.5 grams fiber per 100 kcal.