Are physical activity levels linked to nutrient adequacy? Implications for cancer risk.

Cancer prevention guidelines recommend a healthy body mass index, physical activity, and nutrient intake from food rather than supplements. Sedentary individuals may restrict energy intake to prevent weight gain and in so doing may compromise nutritional intake. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to determine if adequacy of micronutrients is linked to physical activity levels (PALs) in healthy-weight adults. Tomorrow Project participants in Alberta, Canada (n = 5333), completed past-year diet and physical activity questionnaires. The percent meeting Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) was reported across low and high PAL groups, and the relation between PAL and percent achieved DRI was determined using multiple linear regression analyses. Overall, <50% of healthy-weight participants met DRIs for folate, calcium, and vitamin D. Percent achieved DRI increased linearly with increasing PAL in both genders (P < 0.01). A hypothetical increase in PAL from 1.4 to 1.9 was associated with a DRI that was 8%-13% higher for folate and vitamin C (men) and 5%-15% higher for calcium and iron (women). Healthy-weight adults at higher PALs appear more likely to meet DRIs for potential cancer-preventing nutrients. The benefits of higher PALs may extend beyond the usual benefits attributed to physical activity to include having a more favorable impact on nutrient adequacy.

The Relationship between Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and Breast Cancer Early Detection: A Critical Review.

Objective. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent. Concurrently, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with early detection techniques widely available. This paper examined the overlap between participation in allopathic breast cancer early detection activities and CAM use. Methods. A systematic review examined the association between breast screening behaviors and CAM use. Searches were conducted on the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and NCCAM databases and gray literature between 1990 and 2011. STROBE criteria were used to assess study quality. Results. Nine studies met the search criteria. Four focused on CAM use in women at high breast cancer risk and five on average risk women. CAM use in women ranged from 22% to 82% and was high regardless of breast cancer risk. Correlations between CAM use and breast cancer early detection were not strong or consistent but significant relationships that did emerge were positive. Conclusions. Populations surveyed, and measures used to assess CAM, breast cancer screening, and correlates, varied widely. Many women who obtained allopathic screening also sought out CAM. This provides a foundation for future interventions and research to build on women's motivation to enhance health and develop ways to increase the connections between CAM and allopathic care.

Polymorphisms in stromal genes and susceptibility to serous epithelial ovarian cancer: a report from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium.

Alterations in stromal tissue components can inhibit or promote epithelial tumorigenesis. Decorin (DCN) and lumican (LUM) show reduced stromal expression in serous epithelial ovarian cancer (sEOC). We hypothesized that common variants in these genes associate with risk. Associations with sEOC among Caucasians were estimated with odds ratios (OR) among 397 cases and 920 controls in two U.S.-based studies (discovery set), 436 cases and 1,098 controls in Australia (replication set 1) and a consortium of 15 studies comprising 1,668 cases and 4,249 controls (replication set 2). The discovery set and replication set 1 (833 cases and 2,013 controls) showed statistically homogeneous (P(heterogeneity)≥0.48) decreased risks of sEOC at four variants: DCN rs3138165, rs13312816 and rs516115, and LUM rs17018765 (OR = 0.6 to 0.9; P(trend) = 0.001 to 0.03). Results from replication set 2 were statistically homogeneous (P(heterogeneity)≥0.13) and associated with increased risks at DCN rs3138165 and rs13312816, and LUM rs17018765: all ORs = 1.2; P(trend)≤0.02. The ORs at the four variants were statistically heterogeneous across all 18 studies (P(heterogeneity)≤0.03), which precluded combining. In post-hoc analyses, interactions were observed between each variant and recruitment period (P(interaction)≤0.003), age at diagnosis (P(interaction) = 0.04), and year of diagnosis (P(interaction) = 0.05) in the five studies with available information (1,044 cases, 2,469 controls). We conclude that variants in DCN and LUM are not directly associated with sEOC, and that confirmation of possible effect modification of the variants by non-genetic factors is required.