Profiles of a healthful diet and its relationship to biomarkers in a population sample from Mediterranean southern France.

OBJECTIVES: The failure of single-nutrient supplementation to prevent disease in intervention studies underlines the necessity to develop a holistic view of food intake. The objectives of this study were to devise a diet quality index (DQI) and identify biomarkers of multidimensional dietary behavior. DESIGN: A nutrition survey was conducted in Mediterranean southern France by means of a food frequency questionnaire. The DQI was based on current dietary recommendations for prevention of diet-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and some cancers. A second DQI included tobacco use. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: performed Spearman rank correlations, cross-classifications and intraclass correlations were computed between the DQI and biomarkers. RESULTS: Of the 146 subjects, 10 had a healthful diet and 18 had a poor diet. Erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acids-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-beta carotene, and vitamin E concentrations were lower and cholesterol concentrations were higher in the poor diet; the difference was significant for EPA and DHA and borderline significant for vitamin E. Significant correlation was found between the DQI and vitamin E (-0.12), EPA (-0.30), and DHA (-0.28), and beta carotene (-0.17) when tobacco use was considered, but not between the DQI and cholesterol. The correlation coefficient reached 0.58 (P0.01) for a composite index based on all biomarkers except cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with a beta carotene levels greater thanl micromol/L, vitamin E greater than 30 micromol/L and EPA greater than 0.65% and DHA greater than 4% of fatty acids in erythrocytes were likely to have a healthful diet. Each biomarker indicated the quality of diet, but correlation was higher with a composite index.

A comparison of dietary behaviour in Central England and a French Mediterranean region.

UNLABELLED: BJECTIVEe: The investigation involves comparison of dietary behaviour between UK and Mediterranean France by characterizing the pattern of the current French Mediterranean diet compared with the current British diet. DESIGN: The findings of two dietary surveys, one in the UK and one in France, are compared. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used in both countries. Questions on food frequency were used to assess dietary behaviour, which were regrouped in the French survey to correspond with UK groupings. Dietary indices were constructed to describe dietary behaviour in relation to cancer recommendations for intake of fat, fibre, meat, fruit and vegetables. SETTING: The UK study was conducted in Leicestershire, central England and the French study was carried out in Hérault, southern France. SUBJECTS: UK: n=418 subjects (57.9% female and 42.1% male; mean age=45.0 y); France: n=635 subjects (50.1% female and 40.9% male; mean age=49.8 y). Age range of both samples: 20-74 y. RESULTS: There were positive and negative trends in food consumption in each country. UK respondents reported eating more beans and pulses (P=0.000), less cheese (P=0. 000), red meat (P=0.001), and processed meats (P=0.000) than French respondents. However, on the negative side, they ate less fruit and vegetables (P=0.000), fish and poultry (P=0.000), cereals (P=0.000), and more sweets and chocolates (P=0.000), and cakes, pastries, biscuits and puddings (P=0.000). Women had healthier diets in both countries. CONCLUSIONS: Overall the southern French diet was healthier as French respondents scored significantly better for indices for fat, dietary fibre, fruit and vegetables (P=0.000 in all cases). However, the French sample scored poorer for the meat index (P=0.000). SPONSORSHIP: This study was supported by a grant from l'Association de la Recherche contre le Cancer (ARC) awarded to M Holdsworth.

Oxidant-antioxidant status alterations in cancer patients: relationship to tumor progression.

A significant change of vitamin E and malondialdehyde plasma concentrations was reported in breast cancer patients. This change was unexpected because vitamin E was higher and malondialdehyde lower in cases than in controls, and the difference was more significant in young rather than older women. The first aim of this study was to determine whether these changes were associated only with breast cancer, or with hormone-related cancers, and/or cancers associated with nutritional risk factors or with all types of cancers. Measurements were performed before therapy on 269 hospital-based controls and on 146 patients with various carcinomas. Vitamin E:total cholesterol increased and malondialdehyde plasma concentration decreased with tumor size and progression, without relation to the site. The second aim was to understand the difference in the change observed between young and old breast cancer patients. These analytes were measured in 365 breast cancer patients according to three prognosis factors: pathology, tumor size and estrogen receptors. Vitamin E:total cholesterol significantly decreased with estrogen receptor amount. Malondialdehyde plasma concentration decreased with severity of pathology and tumor size. Together, these data support the association of an altered oxidant-antioxidant profile in cancer patients with tumor growth and progression.