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ABSTRACT: The association between light exposure at night and sex hormone levels in utero has scarcely reported. We assessed the associations between sleep duration or being awake in the late evening hours, which can be as indicator of light exposure at night, and the maternal and umbilical blood hormone levels during pregnancy and at delivery among Japanese women. The data for 236 women and their newborns who visited a maternal clinic in Gifu, Japan, between May 2000 and October 2001 were analyzed. Maternal blood samples were obtained at approximately the 10th weeks, 29th weeks of gestation, and at delivery. Umbilical cord artery blood was immediately drawn after birth. Information for sleep during pregnancy was obtained by a self-administered questionnaire. The levels of estradiol and testosterone were measured using radioimmunoassay. Maternal serum testosterone level in the 10th week was higher among those who were awake at or after 1:00 a.m. than among those who were asleep at that time (P = 0.032). Maternal estradiol level in the 29th week was inversely associated with sleep duration on weekends (P = 0.043). Umbilical testosterone level at delivery inversely correlated with sleep duration on weekdays (P = 0.030). These associations were somewhat stronger among mothers with female offspring than those with male offspring. These results suggested that exposure to light at night might increase sex hormone levels during pregnancy.
Endocrine Journal 02/2012; 59(5):393-8. · 2.03 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Prospective studies on physical activity and diet and the onset of natural menopause are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the association of physical activity and dietary factors potentially related to endogenous estrogen levels such as fats, dietary fiber, soy isoflavones, and alcohol with the onset of menopause in a cohort of premenopausal women.
Study participants were 3,115 premenopausal Japanese women aged 35 to 56 years derived from the participants in the Takayama Study. Physical activity was assessed by a validated questionnaire at baseline, and the metabolic equivalent score was calculated. The dietary intakes were estimated by a validated food frequency questionnaire at baseline and adjusted for total energy. Menopause status was defined as the absence of menstruation for 12 months or more. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratio of the occurrence of menopause after controlling for age, parity, body mass index, smoking status, years of education, and lifelong irregular menstrual cycle.
During the 10-year follow-up, 1,790 women experienced natural menopause. A high physical activity level and a high intake of polyunsaturated fat were moderately but significantly associated with the earlier onset of menopause; the hazard ratios for the highest versus lowest quartile were 1.17 (95% CI, 1.02-1.34) for physical activity and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.01-1.31) for polyunsaturated fat intake. Total fat, other types of fat, dietary fiber, soy isoflavones, and alcohol were not associated with the onset of menopause.
These data suggest that high levels of physical activity and polyunsaturated fat intake are associated with earlier onset of menopause.
Menopause (New York, N.Y.) 09/2011; 19(1):75-81. · 3.08 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Several studies have reported the prevalence of tinnitus among general populations; however, most of these studies were conducted in Europe or the United States. We estimated the prevalence of tinnitus among the general adult population in Japan.
The subjects were participants in the Takayama Study, a population-based cohort study. In 2002, a total of 14 423 adults (6450 men and 7973 women) aged 45 to 79 years responded to a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about history of tinnitus, which was defined as episodes lasting longer than 5 minutes, excluding those occurring immediately after noise exposure. Respondents were also asked about the loudness and severity of tinnitus.
Overall, 11.9% of the subjects reported having tinnitus; the percentage was somewhat higher among men (13.2%) than women (10.8%). The prevalence of tinnitus increased with age in both sexes. Approximately 0.4% of the overall population reported that tinnitus had a severe effect on their ability to lead a normal life. Medical history of hypertension or ischemic heart diseases, use of steroid or antihypertensive medication, and employment as a factory worker or machine operator were associated with tinnitus status in both men and women.
Tinnitus is relatively common in Japan. Although the use of various definitions of tinnitus in different studies makes it difficult to compare prevalence among populations, the present prevalence estimate was similar to those in studies in Europe and the United States.
Journal of Epidemiology 06/2011; 21(4):299-304. · 1.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To examine the association of smoking and lifestyle factors with pancreatic cancer death in the prospective design.
Mortality from pancreatic cancer in regard to smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and alcohol, coffee and green tea intake, was studied in a prospective cohort of 30,826 inhabitants in Takayama, Japan. In 1992, each subject completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographic information, smoking, drinking habits, diet, exercise and medical histories. The response rate was 85.3%.
From 1992 to 1999, 33 men and 19 women died due to pancreatic cancer. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were determined using Cox proportional hazards models. Women who were defined as current smokers at baseline had significant and increased risk of pancreatic cancer death after adjustment for age, body mass index and history of diabetes mellitus (Hazard ratio: 4.77, 95% confidence intervals: 1.58-14.4). There were significant positive associations of pancreatic cancer death with the years of smoking and the number of cigarettes consumed daily in women in a dose-dependent manner. Current smokers indicated a non-significant risk increase in men (Hazard ratio: 3.81, 95% confidence intervals: 0.88-16.6). Body mass index, physical activity, and alcohol, coffee and green tea intake were not significantly associated with pancreatic cancer death.
These data suggested that smoking increases the risk of death from pancreatic cancer in Japanese women.
Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 11/2010; 41(2):225-31. · 1.78 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although cross-sectional studies have reported that the prevalence of allergy is reduced on a farm, few prospective studies were carried out on adults. We examined the association of experience of farming with occurrence of cedar pollinosis in a prospective cohort in Japan.
A total of 5,698 men and 6,533 women, aged 35 to 69 at baseline in 1992, participated in the Takayama Study, a population-based prospective cohort study. Occupational history was assembled via a self-administered baseline questionnaire. To obtain information on cedar pollinosis, a follow-up questionnaire after 10 years from baseline was administered in 2002.
Compared with nonfarmers, farmers had a significantly reduced risk of cedar pollinosis after controlling for covariates (hazard ratio (HR): 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41, 0.90 in men; and HR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.60 in women). There was no significant association of cedar pollinosis with other occupations except for an increased risk of pollinosis among salesmen in multivariate analyses. We observed that other occupational exposures were not associated with the onset of cedar pollinosis after adjusting by covariates, except for a decreased risk of cedar pollinosis for woodworking in men.
These data suggest that exposures related to farming environment might be protective against cedar pollinosis.
Annals of epidemiology 11/2010; 20(11):804-10. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We assessed the relationship of the dietary glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), and intake of carbohydrate and rice, and risk of mortality from stroke and its subtypes. The cohort consisted of 12,561 men and 15,301 women residing in Takayama, Japan, in 1992. At the baseline, a food frequency questionnaire was administered; and the dietary GI, GL, and intake of carbohydrates and rice were estimated. Deaths from stroke occurring in the cohort were prospectively noted until 1999 with data from the office of the National Vital Statistics. The risk of mortality from stroke was assessed with a Cox proportional hazard model after adjusting for age; body mass index; smoking status; physical activity; history of hypertension; education; and intake of total energy, alcohol, dietary fiber, salt, and total fat. The risk of stroke subtypes was assessed in the age-adjusted model. The hazard ratios of total stroke comparing the highest vs the lowest quartiles of the dietary GI were 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-1.47) with P(trend) = .50 in men and 2.09 (95% CI, 1.01-4.31) with P(trend) = .10 in women. Among women, the association was also significant with the risk of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio = 2.45; 95% CI, 1.01-5.92; P(trend) = .03); and a significant positive trend was also observed between dietary GL and mortality from hemorrhagic stroke (P(trend) = .05). The current study implies that diets with a high dietary GI increase the risk of mortality from stroke among Japanese women.
Metabolism: clinical and experimental 03/2010; 59(11):1574-82. · 2.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top was developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery to promote healthful diets.
Adherence to the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top was evaluated in terms of future mortality in a prospective cohort study.
A prospective cohort study among men and women in a general Japanese population.
The cohort consisted of 13,355 men and 15,724 women residing in Takayama, Japan, in 1992. At baseline, a food frequency questionnaire was administered, and adherence to the food guide was measured based on consuming the recommended number of servings of grains, vegetables, fish and meat, milk, and fruits, as well as total daily energy intake and energy from snacks and alcoholic beverages. Higher scores indicated better adherence to the recommendations on a scale of 0 to 70. Based on data obtained from the Office of the National Vital Statistics, deaths occurring among members of the cohort were prospectively noted from 1992 to 1999.
To assess the magnitude of association of adherence scores with subsequent mortality, a Cox proportional hazard model was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Among women, the adherence score was significantly associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes (comparing highest and lowest quartiles of the score, HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.94, P for trend 0.01) in a multivariate analysis; noncardiovascular, noncancer causes (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.96, P for trend 0.04) and cardiovascular disease (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.04, P for trend0.05). No statistically significant association was observed between the adherence score and mortality among men.
The results suggest that diets based on the food guide have the benefit of reducing future mortality in women.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 10/2009; 109(9):1540-7. · 3.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although the inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of diabetes has been reported numerous times, the role of caffeine intake in this association has remained unclear. We evaluated the consumption of coffee and other beverages and food containing caffeine in relation to the incidence of diabetes. The study participants were 5897 men and 7643 women in a community-based cohort in Takayama, Japan. Consumption of coffee, green tea, oolong tea, black tea and chocolate snacks were measured with a semi-quantitative FFQ in 1992. At the follow-up survey in 2002, the development of diabetes and the time of diagnosis were reported. To assess the association, age, smoking status, BMI, physical activity, education in years, alcohol consumption, total energy intake, fat intake and women's menopausal status were adjusted. Among men who consumed one cup per month to six cups per week and among those who consumed one cup per d or more, the associated hazard ratios were 0.69 (95 % CI 0.50, 0.97) and 0.69 (95 % CI 0.49, 0.98) compared with those who drank little to no coffee, with a P value for trend of 0.32. The hazard ratios for women with the same coffee consumption patterns were 1.08 (95 % CI 0.74, 1.60) and 0.70 (95 % CI 0.44, 1.12), with a P value for trend of 0.03. The association between estimated total caffeine intake and risk of diabetes was insignificant both among men and among women. The results imply that coffee consumption decreased the risk of developing diabetes. The protective effect may exist aside from the influence of caffeine intake.
The British journal of nutrition 10/2009; 103(3):453-9. · 3.45 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although smoking is a well-known risk factor for the onset of airway diseases, the associations between smoking and asthma are inconsistent.
To examine the relationship of smoking in adulthood with the occurrence of asthma in Japanese individuals.
A total of 6,674 men and 8,301 women from a population-based cohort in Takayama, Japan, participated in this prospective study. Information on smoking was collected via a baseline questionnaire in 1992. In 2002, development of asthma and the time of physician diagnosis were reported.
During 10-year follow-up, 105 men and 92 women reported the onset of physician-diagnosed asthma. Among men, compared with never smokers, current smokers at baseline had a significantly increased risk of asthma after adjustment for covariates (hazard ratio [HR], 2.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-6.55), whereas women with a current or former history of smoking were at an increased but not significant risk of asthma (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.58-2.38). An approximately 2- to 5-fold increased risk of asthma was observed in men who smoked for more than 30 years or more than 21 cigarettes daily, with a nonsignificant linear trend, but there was no dose-response relationship in current-smoking women. Ever-smoking women with husbands who were ever smokers had a higher risk of asthma (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 0.72-5.65) than never-smoking women with husbands who had never smoked either.
These data suggest that smoking increases the risk of asthma onset in men.
Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology: official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology 05/2009; 102(4):288-93. · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Diabetes mellitus has been reported to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and higher risk of CVD among women than that among men has been observed in many studies. Further, the association of diabetes with increasing risk of cancer has also been reported. Well-designed studies conducted among men and women in the general Japanese population remain scarce.
Our cohort consisted of 13355 men and 15724 women residing in Takayama, Japan, in 1992. At the baseline, the subjects reported diabetes in a questionnaire. Any deaths occurring in the cohort until 1999 were noted by using data from the Office of the National Vital Statistics. The risk of mortality was separately assessed for men and women by using a Cox proportional hazard model after adjusting for age; smoking status; body mass index (BMI); physical activity; years of education; history of hypertension; and intake of total energy, vegetables, fat, and alcohol.
Diabetes significantly increased the risk of mortality from all causes [hazard ratio (HR): 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.64] and from coronary heart disease (CHD) (HR: 2.96, 95% CI: 1.59-5.50) among men, and that from all causes (HR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.34-2.26) and cancer (HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.16-3.05) among women. Diabetes was not significantly associated with mortality from CHD among women.
The findings suggest that diabetes increases the risk of mortality from CVD among men and that from cancer among women. The absence of increased risk of mortality from CHD among women may suggest a particular pattern in the Japanese population.
Journal of Epidemiology 09/2008; 18(5):197-203. · 1.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: There are no strong and consistent predictors of dietary habits although some associations have been shown with psychological factors. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between the rationality and anti-emotionality (R/A) personality and dietary consumption in a Japanese community.
The Takayama study is a community-based cohort study on diet and cancer in Gifu, Japan, and was initiated on September 1, 1992. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on dietary and lifestyle data. The consumption of 169 food and beverage items was measured along with portion size by using a food frequency questionnaire. Questions regarding the R/A-personality scale and lifestyle habits were included in the questionnaire. The participants were 28077 adults (13082 males and 14995 females) aged 35 years and over.
Both males and females with high R/A-personality scores (i.e., high degree of rational thought and emotional repression) consumed more soy products, green and yellow vegetables, other vegetables, and seaweed than the other participants. Males with high R/A-personality scores drank fewer alcoholic beverages, and females with high scores were found to snack less on sweet and salty foods than the other participants. Males with high R/A-personality scores showed higher consumption of meat and dairy products, and females with high scores showed higher consumption of fish, shellfish, and eggs than those with low R/A-personality scores.
The R/A-personality scale may differentiate dietary habits in males and females in a Japanese community.
Journal of Epidemiology 08/2008; 18(4):183-90. · 1.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although soy isoflavone has been suggested to have both immune-enhancing and immune-suppressive effects, the effects of soy isoflavone intake on allergic disorders are unclear. A cross-sectional study indicated that a high intake of soy isoflavone is associated with a decreased risk of allergic rhinitis. We aimed to prospectively examine the relationship between soy isoflavone intake and risk of cedar pollinosis, the most common seasonal allergic rhinitis in Japan. The study was conducted in a population-based cohort of Japanese men and women. Each subject's usual diet, including soy isoflavone intake, was determined with the use of a validated FFQ in 1992. In 2002, a total of 11,229 persons who were 35-69 y old and had no history of cancer or allergic diseases at the baseline responded to a follow-up questionnaire asking about 4 symptoms related to cedar pollinosis. Cox hazard regression model was used to determine the association between soy isoflavone intake and the risk of cedar pollinosis. During the 10-y follow-up, 931 of these subjects reported that they had cedar pollinosis. There was no significant association between soy isoflavone intake and risk of cedar pollinosis in men and women after controlling for covariates. For the highest compared with the lowest quartile of soy isoflavone intake, hazard ratios were 1.07 (95% CI: 0.81-1.42) in men and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.68-1.15) in women. These data did not support an association between soy isoflavone intake and risk of cedar pollinosis.
Journal of Nutrition 08/2008; 138(7):1372-6. · 3.92 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Some epidemiological studies undertaken in Western countries have demonstrated that high intake of fruit and vegetables results in decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that high intake of fruit and vegetables lowers CVD mortality in a population-based cohort of Japanese subjects. In 1992, fruit and vegetable intake was assessed in 13,355 men and 15,724 women in Takayama, Gifu, Japan using a validated FFQ. During the follow-up (1992-99), 200 men and 184 women died from CVD. For women, the highest quartile of vegetable intake compared with the lowest was marginally significant and inversely associated with CVD mortality after adjusting for total energy, age, and nondietary and dietary covariates [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.36-1.08; P-trend = 0.007]. An inverse trend with borderline significance was also observed in fruit intake, excluding CVD deaths in the first 2 y of this study, after adjusting for the above-mentioned covariates (HR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.51-1.34; P-trend = 0.10). In men, CVD death was not associated with fruit (HR = 1.16; 95% Cl, 0.77-1.74; P-trend = 0.61) and vegetable (HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.49-1.34; P-trend = 0.47) intake. These data suggest that higher intake of vegetables is associated with reduced risk of death from CVD for women.
Journal of Nutrition 07/2008; 138(6):1129-34. · 3.92 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: It has been hypothesized that exposure to light at night increases the risk of breast cancer by suppressing the normal nocturnal increase in melatonin production and release, thereby resulting in increased levels of circulating estrogen. We assessed associations among concentrations of serum estrogen and androgen and the principal metabolite of melatonin in urine, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, and exposure to light at night based on information regarding the sleeping habits and history of graveyard-shift work of 206 postmenopausal Japanese women. Serum estradiol level was significantly higher in women who were not asleep at or after 1:00 a.m. (the approximate time of the melatonin peak) than those who were asleep after controlling for covariates. Significantly increased estrone levels were observed in women who had worked graveyard shift. Serum testosterone and DHEA sulfate were unrelated to sleeping habits and history of graveyard-shift work. Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin was lower in women who were not asleep at or after 1:00 a.m. on weekends than those who were asleep at this time, but the difference was of borderline significance (P = 0.08). There was no significant association between urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and any serum hormone levels. These data suggest that exposure to light at night has implications for the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. However, the potential role of melatonin as an intervening factor between light exposure at night and the serum concentrations of estrogen was equivocal.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 07/2008; 17(6):1418-23. · 4.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the causal attributions for breast cancer and their association with the subsequent psychological adjustment.
Sixty-three Japanese patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer were asked by an interviewer about risk factors and explanations for the etiology of breast cancer using a four-point scale. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were administered about 2 months later to measure psychological adjustment to the illness. The relationship between each causal attribution and measure of psychological adjustment was assessed with the Spearman rank correlation after adjusting for potential confounders (age, marital status, cancer stage at diagnosis, time between the day of diagnosis and follow-up, and physical symptoms at the follow-up).
Attributions to several explanations, including "stress" and "personal characteristics," were positively associated with the GHQ-28 measures. Of the attributions to risk factors, "body size" was significantly inversely (r = -0.29) associated and "never having children" was insignificantly and highly inversely (r = -0.77) associated with the GHQ-28 measures, indicating better adjustment to the illness. On the other hand, the attribution to "tobacco" was significantly and positively associated with the GHQ-28 measures (r = 0.34), indicating that the attributions antagonized adjustment to the illness.
The current study indicates that forming causal attributions influences the adjustment to the illness in Japanese breast cancer patients and attributions to certain risk factors for breast cancer may contribute to better adjustment.
Supportive Care Cancer 05/2008; 17(1):3-9. · 2.60 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The isoflavone metabolite equol has been identified in urine or blood samples in some but not all humans. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the association between lifestyle, including diet, and the urinary excretion of equol. Study subjects were 419 Japanese women who were recruited from a breast cancer screening center. Each woman responded to a self-administered questionnaire seeking information about health and lifestyle factors. Diet was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Urinary isoflavones were measured using spot urine samples. Equol was detected in the urine of 84 (20.0%) women. After controlling for covariates, it was found that dairy product intake was significantly lower in those who excreted detectable equol levels in urine than in those who did not. Because equol is derived from daidzein, individuals with low intake of daidzein may produce undetectable levels of equol. To account for this, the study subjects were restricted to 163 women with urinary daidzein levels of 10 nmol/mg creatinine or higher. The association of equol excretion with dairy product intake remained significant. Demographic factors, smoking status, and menstrual and reproductive factors were unrelated to equol excretion. These data suggest that dairy product intake may be associated with the production of equol.
Nutrition and Cancer 01/2008; 60(1):49-54. · 2.78 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Pollinosis induced by the cedar pollen antigen is the most common seasonal allergic reaction in Japan. We aimed to examine the relationship between smoking and risk of cedar pollinosis in a population-based cohort of the Japanese.
Study subjects were 12,221 men and women from the Takayama Study cohort who were 35-69 years old at enrollment in 1992. A follow-up survey in 2002 was used to obtain information about four symptoms related to cedar pollinosis.
A total of 1,000 subjects had cedar pollinosis during the 10-year follow-up. As compared with those who had never smoked, current smokers at the baseline were at a significantly decreased risk of cedar pollinosis after controlling for covariates in men (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.50-0.83) as well as in women (HR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.47-0.88). There was a significant dose-response relationship between the risk of cedar pollinosis and the number of cigarettes smoked each day as well as with the number of years an individual had smoked. A significant risk reduction was observed among men and women who had continued to smoke cigarettes during the follow-up period in comparison with those who had never smoked. There was no risk increase for former smokers at the baseline as well as for those who quit smoking during the follow-up.
Some components of tobacco may protect against cedar pollinosis. Our finding could provide clues about therapeutic strategies for protection against cedar pollinosis.
International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 01/2008; 147(2):117-24. · 2.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A protective role of melatonin in the etiology of breast cancer has been suggested. The down-regulation of estrogen secretion by melatonin is thought to be a main cause of the link between melatonin and breast cancer risk. The present cross-sectional study examined whether the urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6-s) level is inversely associated with mammographic density, which is regarded as a marker of breast cancer risk. The study subjects were 289 Japanese women (175 premenopausal and 123 postmenopausal women) who were recruited from participants in a mammographic breast cancer screening. The size of the total breast area and that of the dense area were measured quantitatively using an automated mammographic mass detection method. The concentration of aMT6-s was measured using first-void morning urine. In premenopausal women, the urinary aMT6-s level was significantly positively associated with percent density after controlling for covariates (P for trend=0.02). There was no significant association between urinary aMT6-s level and the percent density in postmenopausal women. We found no evidence that the melatonin level is inversely associated with mammographic density.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 12/2007; 16(11):2509-12. · 4.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) values and the risk of death from stomach cancer later in life. From 1992 to 2000, 28 443 participants (13 211 men and 15 232 women) were followed, and 129 deaths from stomach cancer (86 men and 43 women) occurred. BMI (BMI at the baseline) and BMI(20y) (BMI at age 20 years) were obtained by questionnaire at the beginning of the study. Men in the middle and highest tertiles of BMI(20y) had a higher risk of death from stomach cancer than those in the lowest tertile (after controlling for covariates, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.73 with 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-5.89 for the middle tertile; HR = 2.15 with 95% CI 0.97-4.73 for the highest tertile), although there was no significant trend (P = 0.30). Likewise, women in the middle and highest tertiles of BMI(20y) had an increased risk of death from stomach cancer (HR = 5.17 with 95% CI 1.50-17.87 for the middle tertile; HR = 4.22 with 95% CI 1.18-15.05 for the highest tertile; P for trend = 0.05). The analysis of BMI at the baseline did not show a significant relationship with the risk of death from stomach cancer. These results suggest that a high BMI(20y) is associated with an increased risk of death from stomach cancer.
Cancer Science 12/2007; 98(11):1785-9. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: High levels of estrogen during pregnancy have been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer in offspring. Some studies have reported a positive association of estrogen level during pregnancy with fetal size, which has been linked to the subsequent risk of breast cancer in offspring. We examined whether maternal diet, including fat and alcohol intake, was associated with hormone levels during pregnancy, as well as with birth weight. The concentrations of estradiol, estriol, and testosterone were measured in the maternal serum and umbilical cord blood of 189 women during pregnancy and at delivery. Intakes of fat, alcohol, and other nutrients were assessed by 5-day diet records at approximately the 29th week of pregnancy before blood sampling. Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids was moderately but significantly positively correlated with the umbilical cord estriol level (r = 0.17, P = 0.03) after controlling for covariates. The positive association between intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids and birth weight was of borderline significance (r = 0.14, P = 0.06). Intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids was significantly inversely correlated with the umbilical cord estradiol and testosterone levels (r = -0.18, P = 0.02 and r = -0.24, P = 0.002, respectively). Alcohol intake was significantly positively correlated with the maternal estradiol level in the 29th week of pregnancy (r = 0.19, P = 0.01), but was unrelated to birth weight. Estrogen level during pregnancy may be regulated by dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and mediate their effects on fetal growth.
Cancer Science 06/2007; 98(6):869-73. · 3.33 Impact Factor
