Plasma Concentration of 36 (Poly)phenols and Prospective Body Weight Change in Participants from the EPIC Cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Dietary intake of (poly)phenols has been linked to reduced adiposity and body weight (BW) in several epidemiological studies. However, epidemiological evidence on (poly)phenol biomarkers, particularly plasma concentrations, is scarce. We aimed to investigate the associations between plasma (poly)phenols and prospective BW change in participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. METHODS: This study included 761 participants with data on BW at baseline and after 5 years of follow-up. Plasma concentrations of 36 (poly)phenols were measured at baseline using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Associations were assessed through general linear mixed models and multinomial logistic regression models, using change in BW as a continuous or as a categorical variable (BW loss, maintenance, gain), respectively. Plasma (poly)phenols were assessed as log2-transformed continuous variables. The false discovery rate (FDR) was used to control for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Doubling plasma (poly)phenol concentrations showed a borderline trend towards a positive association with BW loss. Plasma vanillic acid showed the strongest association (-0.53 kg/5 years; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.99, -0.07). Similar results were observed for plasma naringenin comparing BW loss versus BW maintenance (odds ratio: 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.2). These results did not remain significant after FDR correction. CONCLUSION: Higher concentrations of plasma (poly)phenols suggested a tendency towards 5-year BW maintenance or loss. While certain associations seemed promising, they did not withstand FDR correction, indicating the need for caution in interpreting these results. Further studies using (poly)phenol biomarkers are needed to confirm these suggestive protective trends.

Association between telomere length and cognitive function among cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is an objective biomarker of biological aging, and it is proposed to play a crucial role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. We aimed at evaluating the cross-sectional association between LTL and cognitive performance in middle-aged cognitively unimpaired individuals at increased risk of AD. METHODS: A total of 1520 participants from the ALFA cohort were included. Relative telomere length was measured in leukocytes through qPCR. LTL was residualized against age and sex, and associations with cognitive performance were assessed in short and long groups based on residualized LTL (rLTL). Interactions with sex and genetic risk of AD were tested. RESULTS: Non-linear associations were found between LTL and episodic memory (EM). Better EM was associated with longer rLTL among women in the short rLTL group. DISCUSSION: Results suggest a potential role of telomeres in the cognitive aging process with sex-specific patterns.

Total Effective Xenoestrogen Burden in Serum Samples and Risk of Endometrial Cancer in the Spanish Screenwide Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer is a hormone-dependent cancer, and estrogens play a relevant role in its etiology. However, little is known about the effects of environmental pollutants that act as xenoestrogens or that influence estrogenic activity through different pathways. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the relationship between the combined estrogenic activity of mixtures of xenoestrogens present in serum samples and the risk of endometrial cancer in the Screenwide case-control study. METHODS: The total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) attributable to organohalogenated compounds (TEXB-α) and to endogenous hormones and more polar xenoestrogens (TEXB-ß) was assessed in serum from 156 patients with endometrial cancer (cases) and 150 controls by combining chemical extraction and separation by high-performance liquid chromatography with the E-SCREEN bioassay for estrogenicity. RESULTS: Median TEXB-α and TEXB-ß levels for cases (0.30 and 1.25 Eeq pM/mL, respectively) and controls (0.42 and 1.28 Eeq pM/mL, respectively) did not significantly differ (p=0.653 and 0.933, respectively). An inverted-U risk trend across serum TEXB-α and TEXB-ß levels was observed in multivariate adjusted models: Positive associations were observed for the second category of exposure in comparison to the lowest category of exposure [odds ratio (OR)=2.11 (95% CI: 1.13, 3.94) for TEXB-α, and OR=3.32 (95% CI: 1.62, 6.81) for TEXB-ß], whereas no significant associations were observed between the third category of exposure and the first [OR=1.22 (95% CI: 0.64, 2.31) for TEXB-α, and OR=1.58 (95% CI: 0.75, 3.33) for TEXB-ß]. In mutually adjusted models for TEXB-α and TEXB-ß levels, the association of TEXB-α with endometrial cancer risk was attenuated [OR=1.45 (95% CI: 0.61, 3.47) for the second category of exposure], as well as estimates for TEXB-ß (OR=2.68; 95% CI: 1.03, 6.99). Most of the individual halogenated contaminants showed no associations with both TEXB and endometrial cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We evaluated serum total xenoestrogen burden in relation to endometrial cancer risk and found an inverted-U risk trend across increasing categories of exposure. The use of in vitro bioassays with human samples may lead to a paradigm shift in the way we understand the negative impact of chemical mixtures on human health effects. These results are relevant from a public health perspective and for decision-makers in charge of controlling the production and distribution of chemicals with xenoestrogenic activity. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13202.

Dietary intake of plant- and animal-derived protein and incident cardiovascular diseases: the pan-European EPIC-CVD case-cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence suggests that a potential association between dietary protein intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may depend on the protein source, that is, plant- or animal-derived, but past research was limited and inconclusive. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of dietary plant- or animal-derived protein consumption with risk of CVD, and its components ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke. METHODS: This analysis in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-CVD case-cohort study included 16,244 incident CVD cases (10,784 IHD and 6423 stroke cases) and 15,141 subcohort members from 7 European countries. We investigated the association of estimated dietary protein intake with CVD, IHD, and stroke (total, fatal, and nonfatal) using multivariable-adjusted Prentice-weighted Cox regression. We estimated isocaloric substitutions of replacing fats and carbohydrates with plant- or animal-derived protein and replacing food-specific animal protein with plant protein. Multiplicative interactions between dietary protein and prespecified variables were tested. RESULTS: Neither plant- nor animal-derived protein intake was associated with incident CVD, IHD, or stroke in adjusted analyses without or with macronutrient-specified substitution analyses. Higher plant-derived protein intake was associated with 22% lower total stroke incidence among never smokers [HR 0.78, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.62, 0.99], but not among current smokers (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.83, 1.40, P-interaction = 0.004). Moreover, higher plant-derived protein (per 3% total energy) when replacing red meat protein (HR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.88), processed meat protein (HR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.90), and dairy protein (HR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.98) was associated with lower incidence of fatal stroke. CONCLUSION: Plant- or animal-derived protein intake was not associated with overall CVD. However, the association of plant-derived protein consumption with lower total stroke incidence among nonsmokers, and with lower incidence of fatal stroke highlights the importance of investigating CVD subtypes and potential interactions. These observations warrant further investigation in diverse populations with varying macronutrient intakes and dietary patterns.