Circulating fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP-4) concentrations and mortality in individuals with colorectal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

Human fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP-4), a protein elevated in obesity that promotes colon cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis, may be associated with higher mortality in individuals with colorectal cancer (CRC) and may serve as a mediator of the obesity-mortality association in these individuals. We used a causal diagram to inform covariate selection and applied Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for CRC-specific, non-CRC-specific, and all-cause mortality by FABP-4 levels measured in baseline blood samples from 1371 incident CRC cases from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Competing risk analyses were adapted for CRC and non-CRC deaths.

Plant-based dietary patterns and age-specific risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a prospective analysis.

Background: It is currently unknown whether plant-based dietary patterns influence disease progression to multimorbidity after an initial non-communicable disease, and whether the associated risk of multimorbidity varies with age. This study aimed to investigate associations of plant-based diets with the risk of multimorbidity, defined as the co-occurrence of at least two chronic diseases in an individual (either cancer at any site, cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes).

Methods: This prospective cohort study used data from EPIC and UK Biobank across six European countries, with participants aged 35-70 years at recruitment.

Evaluation of the 4Kscore test in relation to subsequent risk of aggressive prostate cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is central to referrals for prostate biopsy but has low specificity for aggressive prostate cancer. This study evaluates the 4Kscore® (OPKO Diagnostics) versus total PSA in predicting short- and long-term risks of aggressive prostate cancer.

Methods: Baseline blood samples from 1,658 men diagnosed with prostate cancer (median diagnosis time = 8.

Biodiverse diets present co-benefits for greenhouse gas emissions, land use, mortality rates and nutritional adequacy in Europe.

Dietary diversity is vital for public health nutrition, yet the co-benefits of increasing dietary species richness (DSR) on human and environmental health remain unassessed. Here we explore associations between DSR and greenhouse gas emissions, land use, nutrient adequacy and mortality rates among European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study participants. Total DSR was positively associated with probability of adequate nutrient intake diet scores and inversely related to mortality rates; similar results were observed for plant DSR.

Thyroid hormones and epithelial ovarian cancer risk and survival: results from the EPIC study.

Background: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid hormones (free triiodothyronine[fT3] and free thyroxine[fT4]) may influence cancer outcomes, but evidence for ovarian cancer is limited.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study comparing 578 epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cases to matched controls within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). To examine associations between circulating TSH, fT3, and fT4 levels and EOC risk, we estimated risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) per standard deviation (SD) using conditional logistic regression.

Protein intake and cardiovascular diseases: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline on protein intake of the German Nutrition Society.

Purpose: This umbrella review aimed to investigate the evidence for an association of dietary intake of total protein as well as animal and plant protein with the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and total cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Database were systematically searched for systematic reviews (SRs) of prospective studies with or without meta-analysis (MA) published between January 2012 and April 2024. Methodological quality, outcome-specific certainty of evidence, and overall certainty of evidence were assessed using established tools and predefined criteria.

Epigenetic biomarkers predict macrovascular events in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Prediction of incident macrovascular events (iMEs) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains suboptimal. We aim to discover blood-based epigenetic biomarkers predicting iMEs in 752 newly diagnosed individuals with T2D, among whom 102 developed iMEs during follow-up. 461 DNA methylation sites, e.

Circulating epigenetic signatures classifying brain insulin resistance in humans.

Brain insulin action plays an important role in metabolic and cognitive health, but there is no biomarker available to assess brain insulin resistance in humans. Here, we developed a machine learning framework based on blood DNA methylation profiles of participants who did not have type 2 diabetes with and without brain insulin resistance and detailed metabolic phenotyping. We identified 540 DNA methylation sites (CpGs) as classifiers of brain insulin resistance in a discovery cohort ( = 167), results that were validated in two replication cohorts ( = 33 and 24) with high accuracy (83 to 94%).

Sex Disparities and Female Reproductive and Hormonal Factors Associated with Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Cohort.

Worldwide, men experience a higher incidence of pancreatic cancer (PC) than women. To increase understanding of the underlying reasons for this sex-related difference, we analysed general and sex-related risk factors for PC in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort (women/men No. = 293,682/136,728; 717/577 PC-cases).

Trace elements and risk of diabetes-related vascular complications: results from the EPIC-Potsdam cohort study.

Background: The trace elements selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, and iron are crucial for various physiological processes, including enzymatic reactions and immune responses. Dyshomeostasis of trace elements is associated with a variety of diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It has not been clarified whether blood trace elements associate with the risk of diabetes-related vascular complications.

Polygenic prediction of body mass index and obesity through the life course and across ancestries.

Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.

Plant-based dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC) study.

While previous literature suggests that plant-based diets may be associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, evidence remains inconsistent. In this study, we investigated the association between adherence to plant-based diets and breast cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful (hPDI), and unhealthful PDI (uPDI) were calculated, and multivariable Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of breast cancer for the three indices.

Body mass index and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women with and without cardiometabolic diseases: Findings from two prospective cohort studies in Europe.

Background: Adiposity, measured by body mass index (BMI), is a known risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer. However, whether the association of BMI with breast cancer risk differs among women with and without cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) is uncertain.

Methods: This study used individual participant data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) and UK Biobank (UKB) that included 168,547 postmenopausal women who were free of cancer, T2D, and CVD at recruitment.

Physiological serum uric acid concentrations correlate with arterial stiffness in a sex-dependent manner.

Background: In humans, uric acid is a product of purine metabolism that impacts the vascular system. In addition to effects on arterial vascular tone, associations between serum uric acid concentrations-even in the physiological range-and arterial hypertension and vascular-mediated end-organ damage due to an impact on vascular stiffness have been postulated.

Methods: Therefore, we aim to investigate a possible cross-sectional association between serum uric acid concentrations in the physiological range and differences in arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV), an indicator of vascular remodeling, with a focus on possible differences between female and male individuals.

A genome-wide association study in 10,000 individuals links plasma N-glycome to liver disease and anti-inflammatory proteins.

More than a half of plasma proteins are N-glycosylated. Most of them are synthesized, glycosylated, and secreted to the bloodstream by liver and lymphoid tissues. While associations with N-glycosylation are implicated in the rising number of liver, cardiometabolic, and immune diseases, little is known about the genetic regulation of this process.

Association Between Dietary Intake and Blood Concentrations of One-Carbon-Metabolism-Related Nutrients in European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

We examined the association between dietary intake and blood concentrations of one-carbon metabolism (OCM)-related nutrients in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Blood concentrations and dietary intake of the vitamins riboflavin (B2), Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP and B6), folate (B9), B12, and methionine, concentrations of homocysteine, and dietary intake of betaine, choline, and cysteine were pooled from 16,267 participants in nine EPIC nested case-control studies. Correlation analyses between dietary intakes and blood concentrations were carried out.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes and potatoes and risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Objectives: Low intake of fiber, fruits and vegetables is associated with the risk of developing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). We therefore aimed to assess the risk of developing CD and UC according to individual fruits, vegetables, legumes, and potatoes and their diversity in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

Methods: Validated food frequency questionnaires collected at baseline were used to assess fruits, vegetables, legumes, and potatoes intakes.

Can serum metabolic signatures inform on the relationship between healthy lifestyle and colon cancer risk?

Background: Colon cancer is strongly influenced by lifestyle factors. Sociodemographic factors like sex and socioeconomic position (SEP) might modulate the relationship between lifestyle and colon cancer risk. Metabolomics offers potential to uncover biological mechanisms linking lifestyle and colon cancer.

Protein diversity, type 2 diabetes, and effect modifiers: a multi-country prospective study.

Background: Dietary diversity may affect type 2 diabetes (T2D) but no studies have examined protein diversity by source. We examined five diversity scores and the 10-year risk of T2D and effect modification.

Methods: A prospective study of 10 363 incident T2D cases and a representative sub-cohort of 13 937 individuals sampled from a cohort of 340 234 participants in eight European countries (1993-2007).

Nut consumption, linoleic and α-linolenic acid intakes, and genetics: how fatty acid desaturase 1 impacts plasma fatty acids and type 2 diabetes risk in EPIC-InterAct and PREDIMED studies.

Background: Dietary guidelines recommend replacing saturated fatty acid with unsaturated fats, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids. Cohort studies do not suggest a clear benefit of higher intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids but, in contrast, higher circulating linoleic acid (LA) levels-reflective of dietary LA intake, are associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. However, genetic variants in the fatty acid desaturase 1 gene (FADS1) may influence individual responses to plant-based fats.

Associations of low-carb diets with glycaemic control and diabetic complications among adult Ghanaians: the RODAM study.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the associations of low-carb diets with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and diabetes complications among Ghanaian adults, who traditionally rely on carbohydrate-dense diets and experience a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods: This analysis used baseline data of the multi-centre RODAM (Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants) Study among Ghanaian adults (N = 5,898; 18-96 years) living in Ghana and Europe. Energy (kcal/d) and macronutrient intakes (energy%) were computed from the semi-quantitative Ghana Food Propensity Questionnaire.

Risk of cardiovascular disease in Germany: results from GEDA 2022.

Background: Knowledge of the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is important for its prevention.

Methods: Data from a non-clinical test for the absolute risk of having a heart attack or stroke for the first time in the next ten years is available from 3,271 35- to 69-year-old participants in the GEDA 2022 study without a diagnosis of heart attack or stroke. This risk was categorised as (< 5 %), (≥ 5 % - < 7.

Correction: Toward a Domain-Overarching Metadata Schema for Making Health Research Studies FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable): Development of the NFDI4Health Metadata Schema.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/63906.].

Diabetes-Related Dietary Patterns and Endometrial Cancer Risk and Survival in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study.

Background/objectives: Endometrial cancer (EC)'s major risk factors include obesity and diabetes, both strongly related with lifestyle choices and dietary factors. Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between diabetes-related dietary patterns, EC risk, and survival in a population of middle-aged European women.

Methods: A total of 285,418 female participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study were included in the analysis.