Socio-demographic influences on trends of fish consumption during later adult life in the Whitehall II study

Our aim was to investigate how socio-demographic factors influence trends and age-related trajectories of fish consumption. We examined consumption of total, fried and recommended fish (white and oily fish. and shellfish) in the Whitehall 11 study over I I years in participants aged 39-59 years at phase 3. The cohort included 8358 British civil servants who completed a FFQ at phase 3 (1991-3). phase 5 (1997-9. n 5430) and phase 7 (2002-4 n 5692). Occupational grade. ethnicity, marital and retirement status were collected at each phase. To analyse changes in age-related trends of fish intake over time according to socio-demographic characteristics. we applied a random mixed-effect model. Over the follow-up a significant increase in consumption of 'recommended' (mean: 1.85 to 2.22 portions/week) and total fish (mean: 2.32 to 2.65 portions/week) and a decreasing trend in fried-fish intake (mean: 0.47 to 0.43 portions/week) was observed. Recommended. fried and total fish consumption differed by occupational status, ethnicity. marital Status and sex. The trend of age-related fish intake diverged significantly by ethnicity. In South Asian participants (n 432). slope of recommended-fish consumption was significantly higher compared with white participants (0.077 v. 0.025 portions/week per year). For black participants (n 275) slope of fried-fish intake was significantly higher compared with white participants (0.0052 v. -0.0025 portions/week per year). In terms of public health. our descriptive and analytical work allows detailed Understanding of the impact of socio-demographic factors oil fish intake and its age-related trends. Such information is Valuable for food policies that seek to promote health equity

Social factors and cardiovascular morbidity

Recent progress in population health at aggregate level, measured by life expectancy, has been accompanied by lack of progress in reducing the difference in health prospects between groups defined by social status. Cardiovascular disease is an important contributor to this undesirable situation. The stepwise gradient of higher risk with lower status is accounted for partly by social gradients in health behaviors. The psychosocial hypothesis provides a stronger explanation, based on social patterning of living and working environments and psychological assets that individuals develop during childhood. Three decades of research based on Whitehall II and other cohort studies provide evidence for psychosocial pathways leading to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Job stress is a useful paradigm because exposure is long term and depends on occupational status. Studies of social-biological translation implicate autonomic and neuroendocrine function among the biological systems that mediate between chronic adverse psychosocial exposures and increased cardiometabolic risk and cardiovascular disease incidence

Prospective study of coffee and tea consumption in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among men and women: The Whitehall II study

At least fourteen cohort studies have documented all inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes. We examined the prospective association between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among British men (n 4055) and women (n 1768) from the Whitehall II cohort. During 11.7 years follow-up there were a total of 387 incident cases of diabetes confirmed by Self-report of doctor's diagnosis or glucose tolerance tests. Despite an inverse association between coffee intake and 2 h post-load glucose concentration at the baseline assessment, combined caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee (hazard ratio (HR) 0-80 95% CI 0.54, 1.18) or only decaffeinated coffee intake (HR 0.65: 95% CI 0.36, 1.16) was not significantly associated with diabetes risk at follow-up after adjustment for possible confounders. There was all association between tea intake and diabetes (HR 0.66: 95% CI 0.61, 1.22: P<0.05) after adjustment for age. gender. ethnicity and social status, which was not robust to further adjustments. There was. however, an association between combined intake of tea and coffee (two or more cups per clay of both beverage) and diabetes (HR 0.68: 95% CI 0.46, 0.99: P<0.05) after full adjustment. In conclusion, relatively moderate intake (more than three CLIPS per (lay) of coffee and tea were not prospectively associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes although there was evidence of a combined effect. The limited range of exposure and beverage consumption according to socio-economic class may explain these conflicting findings

Is There an Association between Work Stress and Diurnal Cortisol Patterns? Findings from the Whitehall II Study.

The evidence on whether there is work stress related dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is equivocal. This study assessed the relation between work stress and diurnal cortisol rhythm in a large-scale occupational cohort, the Whitehall II study

Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: prospective findings from the Whitehall II study

Intake of sweet food, beverages and added sugars has been linked with depressive symptoms in several populations. Aim of this study was to investigate systematically cross-sectional and prospective associations between sweet food/beverage intake, common mental disorder (CMD) and depression and to examine the role of reverse causation (influence of mood on intake) as potential explanation for the observed linkage. We analysed repeated measures (23,245 person-observations) from the Whitehall II study using random effects regression. Diet was assessed using food frequency questionnaires, mood using validated questionnaires. Cross-sectional analyses showed positive associations. In prospective analyses, men in the highest tertile of sugar intake from sweet food/beverages had a 23% increased odds of incident CMD after 5 years (95% CI: 1.02, 1.48) independent of health behaviours, socio-demographic and diet-related factors, adiposity and other diseases. The odds of recurrent depression were increased in the highest tertile for both sexes, but not statistically significant when diet-related factors were included in the model (OR 1.47; 95% CI: 0.98, 2.22). Neither CMD nor depression predicted intake changes. Our research confirms an adverse effect of sugar intake from sweet food/beverage on long-term psychological health and suggests that lower intake of sugar may be associated with better psychological health

Predictors of diabetes in older people in urban China.

China has the largest number of people with diabetes in the world. Over the last 30 years China has experienced rapid economic growth and a growing income gap between rich and poor. The population is ageing, however diabetes in older people has not been well studied to date. In this study we determined incidence and predictors of diabetes in older Chinese people

The retail food environment and its association with body mass index in Mexico

Background/Objective: Mexico has one of the highest rates of obesity and overweight worldwide, affecting 75% of the population. The country has experienced a dietary and food retail transition involving increased availability of high-calorie-dense foods and beverages. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the retail food environment and body mass index (BMI) in Mexico. Subjects/Methods: Geographical and food outlet data were obtained from official statistics; anthropometric measurements and socioeconomic characteristics of adult participants (N = 22,219) came from the nationally representative 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT). Densities (store count/census tract area (CTA)) of convenience stores, restaurants, fast-food restaurants, supermarkets and fruit and vegetable stores were calculated. The association of retail food environment variables, sociodemographic data and BMI was tested using multilevel linear regression models. Results: Convenience store density was high (mean (SD) = 50.0 (36.9)/CTA) compared with other food outlets in Mexico. A unit increase in density of convenience stores was associated with a 0.003 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.0006, 0.005, p = 0.011) increase in BMI, equivalent to 0.34 kg extra weight for an adult 1.60 m tall for every additional 10% store density increase (number of convenience stores per CTA (km2)). Metropolitan areas showed the highest density of food outlet concentration and the highest associations with BMI (β = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.004–0.01, p < 0.001). A 10% store density increase in these areas would represent a 1 kg increase in weight for an adult 1.60 m tall. Conclusions: Convenience store density was associated with higher mean BMI in Mexican adults. An excessive convenience store availability, that offers unhealthy food options, coupled with low access to healthy food resources or stores retailing healthy food, including fruits and vegetables, may increase the risk of higher BMI. This is the first study to assess the association of the retail food environment and BMI at a national level in Mexico

Dietary pattern, inflammation and cognitive decline: The Whitehall II prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Low-grade inflammation appears to play an etiological role in cognitive decline. However the association between an inflammatory dietary pattern and cognitive decline has not been investigated. We aimed to investigate dietary patterns associated with inflammation and whether such diet is associated with cognitive decline. METHODS: We analyzed 5083 participants (28.7% women) from the Whitehall II cohort study. Diet and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) were assessed in 1991-1993 and 1997-1999. We used reduced rank regression methods to determine a dietary pattern associated with elevated IL-6. Cognitive tests were performed in 1997-1999 and repeated in 2002-2004 and 2007-2009. The association between dietary pattern and cognitive decline between ages 45 and 79 was assessed using linear mixed models. RESULTS: We identified an inflammatory dietary pattern characterized by higher intake of red meat, processed meat, peas and legumes, and fried food, and lower intake of whole grains which correlated with elevated IL-6 both in 1991-1993 and 1997-1999. A greater decline in reasoning was seen in participants in the highest tertile of adherence to the inflammatory dietary pattern (-0.37 SD; 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.40, -0.34) compared to those in the lowest tertile (-0.31; 95% CI -0.34, -0.28) after adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, occupational status, education, and total energy intake (p for interaction across tertiles = 0.01). This association remained significant after multivariable adjustment. Similarly for global cognition, the inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with faster cognitive decline after multivariable adjustment (p for interaction across tertiles = 0.04). Associations were stronger in younger participants (<56 years), reducing the possibility of reverse causation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that a dietary pattern characterized as higher intake of red and processed meat, peas, legumes and fried food, and lower intake of whole grains was associated with higher inflammatory markers and accelerated cognitive decline at older ages. This supports the case for further research