Mediterranean diet; lifestyle factors; and 10-year mortality in elderly men and women.

CONTEXT: Dietary patterns and lifestyle factors are associated with mortality from all causes; coronary heart disease; cardiovascular diseases; and cancer; but few studies have investigated these factors in combination. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the single and combined effect of Mediterranean diet; being physically active; moderate alcohol use; and nonsmoking on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in European […]

Bioactive compounds in foods: their role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer

"Bioactive compounds" are extranutritional constituents that typically occur in small quantities in foods. They are being intensively studied to evaluate their effects on health. The impetus sparking this scientific inquiry was the result of many epidemiologic studies that have shown protective effects of plant-based diets on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Many bioactive compounds have […]

Case-control study of dietary etiological factors: the Melbourne colorectal cancer study.

As part of a large-scale investigation of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence; etiology; and survival; a case-control study was conducted to identify dietary factors associated with the risk of CRC. The study compared 715 cases with 727 age- and sex-matched community controls. A quantitative diet history; assessed to be the most representative of the previous 20 […]

Cancer chemopreventive activity of resveratrol; a natural product derived from grapes

Resveratrol; a phytoalexin found in grapes and other food products; was purified and shown to have cancer chemopreventive activity in assays representing three major stages of carcinogenesis. Resveratrol was found to act as an antioxidant and antimutagen and to induce phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes (anti-initiation activity); it mediated anti-inflammatory effects and inhibited cyclooxygenase and hydroperoxidase […]

Consumption and portion sizes of tree nuts; peanuts and seeds in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohorts from 10 European countries

Tree nuts; peanuts and seeds are nutrient dense foods whose intake has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of some chronic diseases. They are regularly consumed in European diets either as whole; in spreads or from hidden sources (e.g. commercial products). However; little is known about their intake profiles or differences in consumption […]