Urine antimony and risk of cardiovascular disease - A prospective case-cohort study in Danish Non-Smokers.

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence suggests that antimony induces vascular inflammation and oxidative stress and may play a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, few studies have examined whether environmental antimony from sources other than tobacco smoking is related with CVD risk. The general population may be exposed through air, drinking water, and food that contains antimony from natural and anthropogenic sources, such as mining, coal combustion, and manufacturing. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of urine antimony with incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, and stroke among people who never smoked tobacco. METHODS: Between 1993 and 1997, the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health (DCH) cohort enrolled participants (ages 50-64 years), including n = 19,394 participants who reported never smoking at baseline. Among these never smokers, we identified incident cases of AMI (N = 809), heart failure (N = 958), and stroke (N = 534) using the Danish National Patient Registry. We also randomly selected a subcohort of 600 men and 600 women. We quantified urine antimony concentrations in samples provided at enrollment. We used modified Cox proportional hazards models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for each incident CVD outcome in relation to urine antimony, statistically adjusted for creatinine. We used a separate prospective cohort, the San Luis Valley Diabetes Study (SLVDS), to replicate these results. RESULTS: In the DCH cohort, urine antimony concentrations were positively associated with rates of AMI and heart failure (HR = 1.52; 95%CI = 1.12, 2.08 and HR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.15, 2.18, respectively, comparing participants in the highest (>0.09 µg/L) with the lowest quartile (<0.02 µg/L) of antimony). In the SLVDS cohort, urinary antimony was positively associated with AMI, but not heart failure. DISCUSSION: Among this sample of Danish people who never smoked, we found that low levels of urine antimony are associated with incident CVD. These results were partially confirmed in a smaller US cohort.

A Simple Dietary Questionnaire Correlates With Formal Dietitian Evaluation and Frequently Identifies Specific Clinical Interventions in an Outpatient Gastroenterology Clinic.

BACKGROUND: The spectrum of gastroenterology-related diseases related to obesity is growing. Few clinical tools exist to aid in clinician-guided dietary counseling. GOALS: (1) Develop and validate a 1-page diet history form that would provide information on dietary factors that can contribute to gastrointestinal (GI) illness and to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet; and (2) evaluate the form in a general GI clinic to determine its potential utility as a clinical tool. STUDY: A 1-page diet history form was developed and underwent qualitative and quantitative validation in comparison to a formal diet evaluation by a registered dietitian. The form was then evaluated in consecutive patients attending a general GI clinic, and analyzed for overall diet content, compliance with a Mediterranean diet, and presence of high-risk (red flag) dietary behaviors. RESULTS: The form was evaluated in 134 patients. In a validation cohort (n=30) the qualitative dietary components measured were highly concordant with a formal dietary interview. Total daily calorie intake correlated with formal dietary review (R=0.61), but tended to underestimate total calories due to less precision in portion size. The prospective cohort (n=104) patients had a mean body mass index of 29.8. Overall, 52.9% were obese, 50% had metabolic syndrome, and 51% had a primary GI illness directly impacted by dietary factors (gastroesophageal reflux, irritable bowel, fatty liver). Overall, 85.6% of patients documented red flag behaviors. Patients with obesity trended for more red flags than overweight or normal body mass index groups. CONCLUSION: A 1-page diet questionnaire correlated well with formal dietary assessment and identified clinically relevant dietary interventions in a high percentage of GI patients.