Relative Risk (RR) of Total Incident Cancer and of Site-Specific Cancer by Educational Attainment in Men.

<p>Abbreviations: RR, relative risk; CI, confidence interval; BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight kilograms divided by height in meters squared).</p>a<p>p for trend across education groups.</p>b<p>Age-adjusted Incidence rates are per 100,000 person-years by 5 year age intervals.</p>c<p>Multivariate models included the following covariates: age (yrs); race (White, Black, Hispanic and Asian, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, combined); smoking (Never, Quit < = 1 pack per day, Quit>1 pack per day, Currently smoking < = 1 pack per day, Currently Smoking>1 pack per day); alcohol consumptions g/day (0; 0.1−<5, 5−<15, 15<30, 30+); energy (Kcal/day);BMI (<25, 25−<30, 30−<35, 35+); Physical activity (Frequency of at least 20 minutes that caused increases in breathing or heart rate, or worked up a sweat: Never/Rarely, 1–3 time per month, 1–2 times per week, 3–4 times per week, 5+ times per week, Unknown), married (yes/no); family history of cancer (yes/no).</p>d<p>Smoking related cancers include sites: head neck, esophageal, lung, pancreas, bladder.</p>e<p>For the sites of colon and prostate (local and advanced) models were adjusted for screening behavior.</p

Baseline Characteristics According to Educational Attainment in Men and Women.

a<p>BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared).</p>b<p>Reported screening 3 years prior to baseline for colon, breast (women only), ovarian (women only) or prostate (men only) cancers.</p>c<p>Among parous women.</p

Mediterranean dietary pattern and prediction of all-cause mortality in a US population - Results from the NIH-AARP diet and health study

Background: The Mediterranean diet has been suggested to play a beneficial role for health and longevity. However, to our knowledge, no prospective US study has investigated the Mediterranean dietary pattern in relation to mortality. Methods: Study participants included 214 284 men and 166 012 women in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP ( formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) Diet and Health Study. During follow-up for all-cause mortality (1995-2005), 27 799 deaths were documented. In the first 5 years of follow-up, 5985 cancer deaths and 3451 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths were reported. We used a 9-point score to assess conformity with the Mediterranean dietary pattern ( components included vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, whole grains, fish, monounsaturated fat saturated fat ratio, alcohol, and meat). We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using age- and multivariate-adjusted Cox models. Results: The Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In men, the multivariate HRs comparing high to low conformity for all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality were 0.79 ( 95% CI, 0.76-0.83), 0.78 ( 95% CI, 0.69-0.87), and 0.83 ( 95% CI, 0.76-0.91), respectively. In women, an inverse association was seen with high conformity with this pattern: decreased risks that ranged from 12% for cancer mortality to 20% for all-cause mortality (P=.04 and P <.001, respectively, for the trend). When we restricted our analyses to never smokers, associations were virtually unchanged. Conclusion: These results provide strong evidence for a beneficial effect of higher conformity with the Mediterranean dietary pattern on risk of death from all causes, including deaths due to CVD and cancer, in a US population

Overweight, Obesity, and Mortality in a Large Prospective Cohort of Persons 50 to 71 Years Old

Background Obesity, defined by a body-mass index (BMI) (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of 30.0 or more, is associated with an increased risk of death, but the relation between overweight (a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9) and the risk of death has been questioned. Methods We prospectively examined BMI in relation to the risk of death from any cause in 527,265 U.S. men and women in the National Institutes of Health–AARP cohort who were 50 to 71 years old at enrollment in 1995–1996. BMI was calculated from selfreported weight and height. Relative risks and 95 percent confidence intervals were adjusted for age, race or ethnic group, level of education, smoking status, physical activity, and alcohol intake. We also conducted alternative analyses to address potential biases related to preexisting chronic disease and smoking status. Results During a maximum follow-up of 10 years through 2005, 61,317 participants (42,173 men and 19,144 women) died. Initial analyses showed an increased risk of death for the highest and lowest categories of BMI among both men and women, in all racial or ethnic groups, and at all ages. When the analysis was restricted to healthy people who had never smoked, the risk of death was associated with both overweight and obesity among men and women. In analyses of BMI during midlife (age of 50 years) among those who had never smoked, the associations became stronger, with the risk of death increasing by 20 to 40 percent among overweight persons and by two to at least three times among obese persons; the risk of death among underweight persons was attenuated. Conclusions Excess body weight during midlife, including overweight, is associated with an increased risk of death