Association between mediterranean diet and metal(loid) exposure in 4-5-year-old children living in Spain.

Even relatively low levels of metals exposure may impact health, particularly among vulnerable populations such as infants and young children. However, little is known about the interplay between simultaneous metal exposures, common in real-life scenarios, and their association with specific dietary patterns. In this study, we have evaluated the association between adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD) and urinary metal concentrations individually and as an exposure mixture in 713 children aged 4-5-years from the INMA cohort study. We used a validated food frequency questionnaire to calculate two MD indexes scores: aMED and rMED. These indexes gather information on various food groups within the MD and score differently. To measure urinary concentrations of cobalt, copper, zinc, molybdenum, selenium, lead, and cadmium as exposure biomarkers, we used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), coupled with an ion chromatography (IC) equipment for arsenic speciation analysis. We applied linear regression and quantile g-computation, adjusted for confounders, to analyse the association between MD adherence and exposure to the metal mixture. High adherence to MD such as the quintile (Q) 5 MD was associated with higher urinary arsenobetaine (AsB) levels than Q1, with ß values of 0.55 (confidence interval - CI 95% 0.01; 1.09) for aMED and 0.73 (CI 95% 0.13; 1.33) for rMED. Consumption of fish was associated with increased urinary AsB but reduced inorganic arsenic concentrations. In contrast, the aMED vegetables consumption increased urinary inorganic arsenic content. A moderate level of adherence to MD (Q2 and Q3) was associated with lower copper urinary concentrations than Q1, with ß values of -0.42 (CI 95% -0.72; -0.11) for Q2 and -0.33 (CI 95% -0.63; -0.02) for Q3, but only with aMED. Our study, conducted in Spain, revealed that adhering to the MD reduces exposure to certain metals while increasing exposure to others. Specifically, we observed increase in exposure to non-toxic AsB, highlighting the significance of consuming fish/seafood. However, it is crucial to emphasize the necessity for additional efforts in reducing early-life exposure to toxic metals, even when adhering to certain food components of the MD.

Coffee consumption and mortality from all causes of death, cardiovascular disease and cancer in an elderly Spanish population.

PURPOSE: The effect of coffee consumption on mortality has been scarcely investigated in the elderly. We assessed the association between coffee consumption and mortality from all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, in an elderly population of Spain. METHODS: We studied 903 individuals (511 women) aged 65 years and older from two population-based studies, the EUREYE-Spain study and the Valencia Nutritional Survey. Coffee consumption and diet were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Information on education, anthropometry, sleeping time, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and pre-existing disease was collected at baseline. Deaths were ascertained during a 12-year follow-up period, and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR). RESULTS: There were 403 deaths during the 12-year period (40% from CVD), 174 of which occurred during the first 6 years. We observed evidence of a lower CVD mortality among coffee drinkers in the first 6 years of follow-up. Drinkers of ≤1 cup of coffee/day and > 1 cup/day showed lower CVD mortality than non-drinkers of coffee, HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.46-1.44) and HR 0.38 (0.15-0.96), respectively (p trend = 0.04). This association of coffee with CVD mortality attenuated after 12 years of follow-up. No significant association was observed with all-cause or cancer mortality, neither for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, coffee consumption was associated with lower CVD mortality in elderly. Although this association should be further investigated, coffee consumption appears to be safe for the elderly since no increased mortality was observed in coffee drinkers.

Association between Mediterranean diet and metal mixtures concentrations in pregnant people from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study.

Diet is a primary source of nutrients but also toxic metal exposure. In pregnancy, balancing essential metal exposure while reducing non-essential ones is vital for fetal and maternal health. However, the effect of metal mixtures from diets like the Mediterranean, known for health benefits, remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and metals exposure, both individually and as mixtures. The study involved 907 pregnant participants from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. We calculated the relative Mediterranean diet score (rMED) through a validated food frequency questionnaire, which includes 8 traditional Mediterranean dietary components. Also, at ~24-28 weeks of gestation, we used ICP-MS to measure speciation of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn, Zn, and As in urine, as well as Pb, Hg, As, Ni, and Se in toenails. We used multiple linear regression and Weighted Quantile Sum regression to analyze the association between rMED and metal mixtures. The models were adjusted for age, pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking during pregnancy, and educational level. High adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with increased urinary Al (® = 0.26 (95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.05; 0.46)), Cd (ß = 0.12 (95%CI = 0.00; 0.24)), Mo (ß = 0.10 (95%CI = 0.00; 0.20)), and AsB (ß = 0.88 (95%CI = 0.49; 1.27)) as well as toenail Hg (ß = 0.44 (95%CI = 0.22; 0.65)), Ni (ß = 0.37 (95%CI = 0.06; 0.67)), and Pb (ß = 0.22 (95%CI = 0.03; 0.40)) compared to those with low adherence. The intake of fruits and nuts, fish and seafood, legumes, cereals, meat, and olive oil were found to be related to the metal biomarkers within the rMED. In conclusion, the Mediterranean diet enhances essential metal intake but may also increase exposure to harmful ones.