Sustainable Diets and Cancer: a Systematic Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review aimed to investigate the association of sustainable diets in relation to cancer risk, cancer recurrence, and cancer-specific mortality in adults. RECENT FINDINGS More than 500 articles were initially identified. Nine articles were eligible for inclusion, presenting data from 8 prospective cohort studies, conducted in Europe and the USA. The sustainability indicators investigated were greenhouse gas emissions, food biodiversity, land use, exposure to pesticides or organic food consumption, and the EAT-Lancet diet. One study reported a sustainability index that combined multiple sustainability indicators. A modest inverse association between higher adherence to sustainable diets and cancer incidence or cancer mortality was observed in most studies. While sustainable diets may decrease cancer risk or mortality, the reviewed studies were heterogeneous regarding sustainability indicators and cancer outcomes. A common definition of dietary sustainability would facilitate better generalization of future research findings. Also, studies among non-western populations are needed

How prevalent is a cancer-protective lifestyle? Adherence to the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research cancer prevention recommendations in Switzerland.

Population monitoring of lifestyle behaviors that are crucial as risk and protective factors for major chronic diseases is vital for the identification of priority areas for public health. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) cancer prevention recommendations in Switzerland, overall and by selected sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Data from the population-based, cross-sectional survey menuCH were used. We constructed a score reflecting adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations. Multinomial logistic regression models were fitted to investigate the association of sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics with the level of adherence to the WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations. The least frequently met cancer prevention recommendations were the ones on fiber intake (met by 13.7%), red and processed meat (25.4%), and ultra-processed food (33.3%) consumption, while the recommendation on physical activity was met by almost 80%. Women and individuals with tertiary education were more likely to have a score of ≥5 (as a reflection of adherence to the cancer prevention recommendations), compared to men or those who completed secondary education, respectively. Current smokers were less likely to have a score of ≥5, compared to never smokers. A high proportion of the population in Switzerland was found to not adhere closely to the WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations. Differences were detected based on sociodemographic characteristics. Education and policy actions are needed to facilitate the adoption of a cancer-protective lifestyle

Einstein's quantum theory of the monatomic ideal gas: non-statistical arguments for a new statistics

In this article, we analyze the third of three papers, in which Einstein presented his quantum theory of the ideal gas of 1924-1925. Although it failed to attract the attention of Einstein's contemporaries and although also today very few commentators refer to it, we argue for its significance in the context of Einstein's quantum researches. It contains an attempt to extend and exhaust the characterization of the monatomic ideal gas without appealing to combinatorics. Its ambiguities illustrate Einstein's confusion with his initial success in extending Bose's results and in realizing the consequences of what later became to be called Bose-Einstein statistics. We discuss Einstein's motivation for writing a non-combinatorial paper, partly in response to criticism by his friend Ehrenfest, and we paraphrase its content. Its arguments are based on Einstein's belief in the complete analogy between the thermodynamics of light quanta and of material particles and invoke considerations of adiabatic transformations as well as of dimensional analysis. These techniques were well-known to Einstein from earlier work on Wien's displacement law, Planck's radiation theory, and the specific heat of solids. We also investigate the possible role of Ehrenfest in the gestation of the theory.Comment: 57 pp

Metabolomic profiles of hepatocellular carcinoma in a European prospective cohort

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer, is difficult to diagnose and has limited treatment options with a low survival rate. Aside from a few key risk factors, such as hepatitis, high alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, and diabetes, there is incomplete etiologic understanding of the disease and little progress in identification of early risk biomarkers. Methods: To address these aspects, an untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomic approach was applied to pre-diagnostic serum samples obtained from first incident, primary HCC cases (n = 114) and matched controls (n = 222) identified from amongst the participants of a large European prospective cohort. Results: A metabolic pattern associated with HCC risk comprised of perturbations in fatty acid oxidation and amino acid, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism was observed. Sixteen metabolites of either endogenous or exogenous origin were found to be significantly associated with HCC risk. The influence of hepatitis infection and potential liver damage was assessed, and further analyses were made to distinguish patterns of early or later diagnosis. Conclusion: Our results show clear metabolic alterations from early stages of HCC development with application for better etiologic understanding, prevention, and early detection of this increasingly common cancer.This work was supported by the French National Cancer Institute (L’Institut National du Cancer; INCA; grant number 2009-139; PI: M. Jenab). AF received financial support (BDI fellowship) from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Bruker Biospin. The coordination of EPIC is financially supported by the European Commission (DG-SANCO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The national cohorts are supported by Danish Cancer Society (Denmark); Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut Gustave Roussy, Mutuelle Générale de l’Education Nationale, and Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) (France); Deutsche Krebshilfe, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany); Hellenic Health Foundation (Greece); Italian Association for Research on Cancer (AIRC), National Research Council, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro-AIRC-Italy, and AIRE-ONLUS Ragusa, AVIS Ragusa, Sicilian Government (Italy); Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds, Dutch Prevention Funds, Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland), World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), and Statistics Netherlands (the Netherlands); European Research Council (ERC; grant number ERC-2009-AdG 232997) and Nordforsk, and Nordic Center of Excellence Programme on Food, Nutrition and Health (Norway); Health Research Fund (FIS), Regional Governments of Andalucía, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia (No. 6236) and Navarra, and ISCIII RETIC (RD06/0020) (Spain); Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Scientific Council, and Regional Government of Skåne and Västerbotten (Sweden); Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council, Stroke Association, British Heart Foundation, Department of Health, Food Standards Agency, and Wellcome Trust (UK)

Sustainable diets and cancer: a systematic review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aimed to investigate the association of sustainable diets in relation to cancer risk, cancer recurrence, and cancer-specific mortality in adults. RECENT FINDINGS: More than 500 articles were initially identified. Nine articles were eligible for inclusion, presenting data from 8 prospective cohort studies, conducted in Europe and the USA. The sustainability indicators investigated were greenhouse gas emissions, food biodiversity, land use, exposure to pesticides or organic food consumption, and the EAT-Lancet diet. One study reported a sustainability index that combined multiple sustainability indicators. A modest inverse association between higher adherence to sustainable diets and cancer incidence or cancer mortality was observed in most studies. SUMMARY: While sustainable diets may decrease cancer risk or mortality, the reviewed studies were heterogeneous regarding sustainability indicators and cancer outcomes. A common definition of dietary sustainability would facilitate better generalization of future research findings. Also, studies among non-western populations are needed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13668-022-00442-z