El Estudio DiSA-UMH: Estudio de cohorte prospectivo en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud de la Universidad Miguel Hernández

Introduction: Young adulthood is an important stage to establish dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors that could be linked to the long-term development of chronic diseases in later life. The 3 years follow-up prospective cohort DiSA-UMH study was set up with the main objectives of determining the nutritional status, lifestyle behaviors and health status, assessing the possible changes during the follow-up, and estimating their influence on the occurrence and development of chronic diseases.Material and Methods: Baseline information of 1204 health science students from Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) aged between 17 and 35 years was collected during the period from 2006 to 2012. All the participants completed a general questionnaire divided into separate sections that included a food frequency questionnaire, specific questions on physical activity, tobacco consumption, nutritional labelling use, weight, height, health status, and questions about the diagnosis of several diseases. In order to validate self-reported data, several reliability/validity investigations with different subsamples were specifically conducted. After baseline questionnaire, students were asked to obtain anthropometric measurements and fasting blood samples. To evaluate our assessment of dietary intake, between three and nine 24-hour recalls administered by telephone were conducted over one year.Results: The first follow-up period of 3-years finished in 2015 and the second 3-year follow-up period is still ongoing. Although the retention rates during these assessment periods were 59.2% and 52.2% respectively, the losses of follow-up happened in a random way because of characteristics of participants and non-participants during follow-up were similar.Introducción: La edad adulta es una etapa importante para el establecimiento de hábitos dietéticos y estilos de vida que pueden estar implicados en el desarrollo de enfermedades crónicas posteriormente. El estudio de cohortes prospectivo con seguimiento a 3 años DiSA-UMH nació con el objetivo de determinar el estado nutricional, estilos de vida y la salud, evaluar los posibles cambios de estos durante el seguimiento y ver cómo influyen en la aparición y desarrollo enfermedades crónicas.Material y Métodos: La información basal de 1204 estudiantes de ciencias de la salud de entre 18 y 35 años de la Universidad Miguel Hernández fue recogida entre los años 2006 y 2012. Todos los participantes autocumplimentaron un cuestionario que incluía un cuestionario de frecuencia de alimentos, preguntas sobre actividad física, consumo de tabaco, alcohol, uso del etiquetado nutricional, peso, talla, tensión arterial sistólica y diastólica y estado de salud, así como preguntas sobre la presencia de diversas enfermedades. Con el fin de validar la información autoaportada, se realizaron específicamente diversos estudios de validación con diferentes submuestras. Tras el cuestionario basal, se les preguntó a los estudiantes para obtener medidas antropométricas y muestra de sangre en ayunas. Para valorar la evaluación de ingesta dietética se recogieron entre 3 y 9 recordatorios de 24 horas realizados por teléfono durante un año.Resultados: En 2015 finalizó el trabajo de campo del primer seguimiento de 3 años, estando aún en marcha el segundo periodo de 3 años de seguimiento. Aunque las tasas de retención durante estos periodos fueron de 59,2% y 52,2% respectivamente, las pérdidas de seguimiento se produjeron de forma aleatoria, ya que las características generales de los que participan y no participan en el seguimiento eran similares

The use of lower of higher than recommended doses of folic acid supplements during pregnancy is associated with child attentional dysfunction at 4-5 years of age in the INMA Project

We assessed the association between the use of lower- and higher-than-recommended doses of folic acid supplements (FAs) during pregnancy and attentional function in boys and girls at age of 4-5. We analyzed data from 1329 mother-child pairs from the mother-child cohort INfancia y Medio Ambiente Project (INMA) study. Information on FAs use during pregnancy was collected in personal interviews at weeks 12 and 30, and categorized in <400, 400-999 (recommended dose), and ≥1000 μg/day. Child attentional function was assessed by Conners' Kiddie Continuous Performance Test. Multivariable regression analyses were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and beta coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Compared to recommended FAs doses, the periconceptional use of <400 and ≥1000 μg/day was associated with higher risk of omission errors-IRR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01; 1.29) and IRR = 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02; 1.33), respectively. The use of FAs < 400 μg/day and ≥1000 μg/day was significantly associated with deficits of attentional function only in boys. FAs use < 400 μg/day was associated with higher omission errors with IRR = 1.22 and increased hit reaction time (HRT) β = 34.36, and FAs use ≥ 1000 μg/day was associated with increased HRT β = 33.18 and HRT standard error β = 3.31. The periconceptional use of FAs below or above the recommended doses is associated with deficits of attentional function in children at age of 4-5, particularly in boys

Maternal Consumption of Seafood in Pregnancy and Child Neuropsychological Development: A Longitudinal Study Based on a Population With High Consumption Levels

Seafood consumption during pregnancy is thought to be beneficial for child neuropsychological development, but to our knowledge no large cohort studies with high fatty fish consumption have analyzed the association by seafood subtype. We evaluated 1,892 and 1,589 mother-child pairs at the ages of 14 months and 5 years, respectively, in a population-based Spanish birth cohort established during 2004-2008. Bayley and McCarthy scales and the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test were used to assess neuropsychological development. Results from multivariate linear regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and further adjusted for umbilical cord blood mercury or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Overall, consumption of seafood above the recommended limit of 340 g/week was associated with 10-g/week increments in neuropsychological scores. By subtype, in addition to lean fish, consumption of large fatty fish showed a positive association; offspring of persons within the highest quantile (>238 g/week) had an adjusted increase of 2.29 points in McCarthy general cognitive score (95% confidence interval: 0.42, 4.16). Similar findings were observed for the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test. Beta coefficients diminished 15%-30% after adjustment for mercury or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Consumption of large fatty fish during pregnancy presents moderate child neuropsychological benefits, including improvements in cognitive functioning and some protection from autism-spectrum traits

Maternal copper status and neuropsychological development in infants and preschool children

Introduction Copper (Cu) is an essential element involved in biological processes; however, excessive Cu could be harmful because of its reactive nature. Very few studies have evaluated its potential neurotoxic effects. We aimed to evaluate the association between maternal Cu levels and children's neuropsychological development. Methods Study subjects were mother-child pairs from the Spanish INMA (i.e. Childhood and Environment) Project. Cu was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in serum samples taken at the first trimester of pregnancy (2003-2005). Neuropsychological development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) at 12 months (n = 651) and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) at 5 years of age (n = 490). Covariates were obtained by questionnaires during pregnancy and childhood. Multivariate linear and non-linear models were built in order to study the association between maternal Cu and child neuropsychological development. Results The mean ± standard deviation of maternal Cu concentrations was 1606 ± 272 μg/L. In the multivariate analysis, a negative linear association was found between maternal Cu concentrations and both the BSID mental scale (beta = −0.051; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: −0.102, −0.001) and the MSCA verbal scale (beta = −0.044; 95%CI:-0.094, 0.006). Boys obtained poorer scores than girls, with increasing Cu at 12 months (interaction p-value = 0.040 for the mental scale and 0.074 for the psychomotor scale). This effect modification disappeared at 5 years of age. The association between Cu and the MSCA scores (verbal, perceptive performance, global memory and motor, general cognitive, and executive function scales) was negative for those children with lowest maternal iron concentrations (<938μg/L). Conclusion The Cu concentrations observed in our study were within the reference range established for healthy pregnant women in previous studies. The results of this study contribute to the body of scientific knowledge with important information on the possible neurotoxic capability of Cu during pregnancy

Reproducibility of data-driven dietary patterns in two groups of adult Spanish women from different studies

The objective of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of data-driven dietary patterns in different samples extracted from similar populations. Dietary patterns were extracted by applying principal component analyses to the dietary information collected from a sample of 3550 women recruited from seven screening centres belonging to the Spanish breast cancer (BC) screening network (Determinants of Mammographic Density in Spain (DDM-Spain) study). The resulting patterns were compared with three dietary patterns obtained from a previous Spanish case-control study on female BC (Epidemiological study of the Spanish group for breast cancer research (GEICAM: grupo Español de investigación en cáncer de mama)) using the dietary intake data of 973 healthy participants. The level of agreement between patterns was determined using both the congruence coefficient (CC) between the pattern loadings (considering patterns with a CC≥0·85 as fairly similar) and the linear correlation between patterns scores (considering as fairly similar those patterns with a statistically significant correlation). The conclusions reached with both methods were compared. This is the first study exploring the reproducibility of data-driven patterns from two studies and the first using the CC to determine pattern similarity. We were able to reproduce the EpiGEICAM Western pattern in the DDM-Spain sample (CC=0·90). However, the reproducibility of the Prudent (CC=0·76) and Mediterranean (CC=0·77) patterns was not as good. The linear correlation between pattern scores was statistically significant in all cases, highlighting its arbitrariness for determining pattern similarity. We conclude that the reproducibility of widely prevalent dietary patterns is better than the reproducibility of more population-specific patterns. More methodological studies are needed to establish an objective measurement and threshold to determine pattern similarity.This study was supported by Carlos III Institute of Health FIS(Spanish Public Health Research Fund: PI060386 FIS; PS09/00790 and PI15CIII/0029 research grants), the Spanish Ministryof Health (EC11-273), the Spanish Ministry of Economyand Competitiveness (IJCI-2014-20900), the Spanish Federationof Breast Cancer Patients (FECMA: EPY 1169-10) and theAssociation of Women with Breast Cancer from Elche (AMAC-MEC: EPY 1394/15). None of the funders had any role in thedesign, analysis or writing of this article.V.L.,N.A.,B.P.-G.andM.P.designedthestudy;A.C.,J.V.,C.S.,C.P.-P.,S.A.,M.E.,D.S.-T.,C.V.andC.S.-C.collectedthedataand/or prepared the database. A. C. performed statistical analysisand wrote the initial version of the manuscript that M. P. revised andcorrected in its different versions. All the authors have read andapproved thefinal version of the manuscript.The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.S

Mediterranean Diet Score and Its Association with Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The European Eye Study

To examine associations between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in countries ranging from Southern to Northern Europe. Cross-sectional, population-based epidemiologic study. Of 5060 randomly sampled people aged 65 years or older from 7 study centers across Europe (Norway, Estonia, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain), full dietary data were available in 4753. The mean age of participants was 73.2 years (standard deviation, 5.6), and 55% were women. Participants underwent an eye examination and digital retinal color photography. The images were graded at a single center. Dietary intake during the previous 12 months was assessed by using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). A previously published Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) was used to classify participants according to their responses on the FFQ. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the association of the MDS score and AMD, taking account of potential confounders and the multicenter study design. Images were graded according to the International Classification System for age-related maculopathy and stratified using the Rotterdam staging system into 5 exclusive stages (AMD 0-4) and a separate category of large drusen (≥125 μm). Age-related macular degeneration 4 included neovascular AMD (nvAMD) and geographic atrophy (GA). Increasing MDS was associated with reduced odds of nvAMD in unadjusted and confounder-adjusted analysis. Compared with the lowest MDS adherence (≤4 score), those in the highest category MDS adherence (&gt;6 score) showed lower odds of nvAMD (odds ratio, 0.53; 0.27-1.04; P trend = 0.01). The association with MDS did not differ by Y204H risk allele (P = 0.89). For all early AMD (grade 1-3), there was no relationship with MDS (P trend = 0.9). There was a weak trend (P = 0.1) between MDS and large drusen; those in the highest category of MDS had 20% reduced odds compared with those in the lowest (P = 0.05). This study adds to the limited evidence of the protective effect of adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern in those with late AMD, although it does not support previous reports of a relationship with genetic susceptibility. Interventions to encourage the adoption of the Mediterranean diet should be developed, and methods by which such behavior change can be achieved and maintained investigated

Associations between Serum Vitamin D and Genetic Variants in Vitamin D Pathways and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the European Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To study associations between early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and neovascular AMD (nvAMD) with serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and genetic variants in vitamin D pathway genes. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study in a random sample aged 65 years or older from 7 European countries. PARTICIPANTS: Of 4753 participants, 4496 (2028 men and 2468 women), with a mean age of 73 years, provided a blood sample; 2137 had no signs of AMD, 2209 had early AMD, and 150 had late AMD, of whom 104 had nvAMD. METHODS: Participants were interviewed to determine smoking and alcohol use, sunlight exposure, and diet; underwent fundus photography. Fundus images were graded using the International Classification System for Age-Related Maculopathy. The 25(OH)D was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and categorized as deficient (<30 nmol/l), insufficient (30-50 nmol/l), or adequate (≥50 nmol/l). Genotyping was performed on a subsample of 1284 AMD cases and controls for 93 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 7 genes. Associations were investigated by linear or logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adjusted odds ratio (OR) for 3 outcomes (early AMD, late AMD, nvAMD). RESULTS: No linear association was found with 25(OH)D and early or late AMD or nvAMD. There was no association between insufficient or deficient status with early or late AMD. Deficient status was associated with nvAMD (adjusted OR, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.45; P < 0.0001). Significant (P < 0.05) associations with 25(OH)D were found for SNPs in genes GC, VDR, CYP2R1, and CYP27B1. Two SNPs (VDR) were associated with early AMD, 4 SNPs (RXRA) and 1 SNP (VDR) were associated with nvAMD, and 1 SNP (RXRA), 2 SNPs (VDR), and 1 SNP (CYP2R1) were associated with late AMD. After Bonferroni correction, no SNPs were associated with early AMD, late AMD, or nvAMD. CONCLUSIONS: Deficiency in 25(OH)D was associated with nvAMD, but the adjusted OR was small, and we cannot exclude residual confounding. The hypothesis of a causal association of vitamin D with AMD is not supported by clear evidence for an association of vitamin D SNPs with early AMD, late AMD, or nvAMD

Use of high doses of folic acid supplements in pregnant women in Spain: an INMA cohort study

Objectives: We examined the use of low (<400 μg/day, including no use) and high folic acid supplement (FAS) dosages (≥1000 μg/day) among pregnant women in Spain, and explored factors associated with the use of these non-recommended dosages. Design: Population-based cohort study. Setting Spain. Participants We analysed data from 2332 pregnant women of the INMA study, a prospective mother-child cohort study in Spain. Main outcome measures We assessed usual dietary folate and the use of FAS from preconception to the 3rd month (first period) and from the 4th to the 7th month (second period), using a validated food frequency questionnaire. We used multinomial logistic regression to estimate relative risk ratios (RRRs). Results Over a half of the women used low dosages of FAS in the first and second period while 29% and 17% took high dosages of FAS, respectively. In the first period, tobacco smoking (RRR=1.63), alcohol intake (RRR=1.40), multiparous (RRR=1.44), unplanned pregnancy (RRR=4.20) and previous spontaneous abortion (RRR=0.58, lower use of high FAS dosages among those with previous abortions) were significantly associated with low FAS dosages. Alcohol consumption (RRR=1.42), unplanned pregnancy (RRR=2.66) and previous spontaneous abortion (RRR=0.68) were associated with high dosage use. In the second period, only tobacco smoking was significantly associated with high FAS dosage use (RRR=0.67). Conclusions A high proportion of pregnant women did not reach the recommended dosages of FAS in periconception and a considerable proportion also used FAS dosages ≥1000 μg/day. Action should be planned by the Health Care System and health professionals to improve the appropriate periconceptional use of FAS, taking into consideration the associated factors.This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Spanish Ministry of Health (Red INMA G03/176; CB06/02/0041; FIS 97/0588; 00/0021–2, PI061756; PS0901958; FIS-FEDER 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314; 09/02647; FIS-PI041436, FIS-PI081151, FIS-PI06/0867; FIS-PS09/00090, FIS-PI042018, FIS-PI09 02311, FIS PI11/01007, FISPI13/02429) Universidad de Oviedo, Conselleria de Sanitat Generalitat Valenciana, Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093 and 2009111069) and the Provincial Government of Guipuzcoa (DFG06/004 and DFG08/001)

Association Between Western and Mediterranean Dietary Patterns and Mammographic Density

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between two dietary patterns (Western and Mediterranean), previously linked to breast cancer risk, and mammographic density. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 3,584 women attending population-based breast cancer screening programs and recruited between October 7, 2007, and July 14, 2008 (participation rate 74.5%). Collected data included anthropometric measurements; demographic, obstetric, and gynecologic characteristics; family and personal health history; and diet in the preceding year. Mammographic density was blindly assessed by a single radiologist and classified into four categories: less than 10%, 10-25%, 25-50%, and greater than 50%. The association between adherence to either a Western or a Mediterranean dietary pattern and mammographic density was explored using multivariable ordinal logistic regression models with random center-specific intercepts. Models were adjusted for age, body mass index, parity, menopause, smoking, family history, hormonal treatment, and calorie and alcohol intake. Differences according to women's characteristics were tested including interaction terms. RESULTS: Women with a higher adherence to the Western dietary pattern were more likely to have high mammographic density (n=242 [27%]) than women with low adherence (n=169 [19%]) with a fully adjusted odds ratio (ORQ4vsQ1) of 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.52). This association was confined to overweight-obese women (adjusted ORQ4vsQ1 [95% CI] 1.41 [1.13-1.76]). No association between Mediterranean dietary pattern and mammographic density was observed. CONCLUSION: The Western dietary pattern was associated with increased mammographic density among overweight-obese women. Our results might inform specific dietary recommendations for women with high mammographic density.S

Urinary Arsenic Speciation in Children and Pregnant Women from Spain

Inorganic arsenic (i-As) is a non-threshold human carcinogen that has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. Exposure to i-As is of particular concern among pregnant women, infants and children, as they are specifically vulnerable to the adverse health effects of i-As, and in utero and early-life exposure, even low to moderate levels of i-As, may have a marked effect throughout the lifespan. Ion chromatography-mass spectrometry detection (IC-ICP-MS) was used to analyse urinary arsenic speciation, as an exposure biomarker, in samples of 4-year-old children with relatively low-level arsenic exposure living in different regions in Spain including Asturias, Gipuzkoa, Sabadell and Valencia. The profile of arsenic metabolites in urine was also determined in samples taken during pregnancy (1st trimester) and in the children from Valencia of 7 years old. The median of the main arsenic species found in the 4-year-old children was 9.71 lg/l (arsenobetaine—AsB), 3.97 lg/l (dimethylarsinic acid—DMA), 0.44 lg/l (monomethylarsonic acid—MMA) and 0.35 lg/l (i-As). Statistically significant differences were found in urinary AsB, MMA and i-As according to the study regions in the 4-year-old, and also in DMA among pregnant women and their children. Spearman’s correlation coefficient among urinary arsenic metabolites was calculated, and, in general, a strong methylation capacity to methylate i-As to MMA was observed